A Perfect Fit
by clarkstonmom
Summary: Story picks up right after previously published fic Teamwork. Joe and Steph are awaiting the arrival of their first child.
1. Chapter 1

Steph stood in the kitchen of her and Joe's house, surveying the utter mess she had made preparing dinner. She didn't cook often, but it seemed whenever she did she couldn't avoid using just about every bowl and pan her and Joe owned. Steph wasn't up for cleaning the kitchen tonight, it would just have to wait until morning. She blew out a long breath and wondered whatever had possessed her to try cooking in the first place. It had been a rough few weeks since the fiasco with Carlos Leslie. Oh, things had been quiet on the crazy stalker front and for that Steph was eternally grateful. But she'd been dealing with another hardship, one she wasn't enjoying much more than being harassed by crazy people. It was while she was in hiding from Leslie that she had discovered she was pregnant. The end to the Leslie mess had been the opportunity to tell Joe they were expecting and he was so excited. Steph smiled at the memory of that happy moment. And although she was excited too, her excitement was greatly tempered by the nausea and vomiting that accompanied each day. She had gotten sick once while hiding at Ranger's, which had been one of the first clues she was pregnant. It wasn't long after that, though, that the nausea started coming all day, every day. It got to the point where Steph had had to take a leave of absence from RangeMan, not feeling comfortable with being constantly sick in front of the RangeMan employees. She couldn't keep track of the amount of times she visited the porcelain god in one day, nor did she really want to.

Joe had been amazing with her during this time. He couldn't be home with Steph constantly during the day, of course, but when he was home he was always willing to be there with her, holding her hair, and offering a cool cloth or a glass of water when it was over. Steph couldn't have asked for a more attentive husband. His quick wit and dry humor brought smiles to her face even when she felt her sickest. But despite Joe's unceasing patience and joviality…or maybe because of it, Steph couldn't be sure…she was incredibly cranky and unpleasant. For the last couple weeks, the vomiting had lessened, though not abated completely, but constant nausea still pervaded. Her hormones were running amok, and it all combined to have her feeling downright bad-tempered. She was more than ready to start feeling human again. Oh yeah, now she remembered why she attempted dinner. She wanted to do something nice for Joe to show her appreciation of everything he did for her, so she'd chosen one of the easier recipes she'd been given by Joe's mom right before he proposed and thought to surprise him with dinner waiting when he got home. The dish was currently in the oven, Joe was due to be home soon, her stomach was only slightly nauseous for the moment and despite the mess in the kitchen, things were going relatively smoothly. Yet Steph could still feel the hormonal rage simmering right below the surface. She wanted so much for tonight to be nice, but lately there was just no telling what would pop out of her mouth when she opened it.

"Honey, I'm home" Joe shouted as he came in the front door. Joe knew Steph hated when he did that—too 50s sitcom for her-- and he never quite knew what reaction he'd get each time he said it, but it was always fun to guess. Right about now he'd guess that the penalty for pricking Steph's temper would be pretty severe. Her hormones were working overtime. Joe figured that just meant he'd have to work overtime to improve her mood. What came to mind to accomplish that certainly always improved his. But if that didn't work, he sighed inwardly, the Tasty Pastry box in his hand should.

Steph had maintained her position at the sink as she heard Joe's footsteps approach. Despite the fact that she knew Joe did it just to annoy her, sometimes his call could rally her to the front door. Why not, when she was frequently anxious to see him anyway? But not today. She was tired and nauseous and determined to be difficult. Joe stepped into the kitchen and placed his box on the counter opposite to where Steph was standing. Her back was to him and she wasn't turning around. Joe started mentally calculating good naturedly what he'd do to get back in Steph's good graces. He started by walking up directly behind her and placing his hands on her upper arms, leaned in and placed a gentle kiss on her cheek.

"You know I don't like when you shout that," Steph pouted. "It makes me sound so domestic." As Steph heard the words come out of her mouth, she blamed those ever-rampaging hormones. Because for the most part, Steph had been enjoying domestic bliss with Joe. It's not like they still didn't have the typical arguments couples had. But overshadowing that by a huge margin was the comfort of sharing meals with him, quietly hanging out together or separately, but still knowing the other was there. And going to bed every night and waking up each morning seeing the face she loved. But she just felt too ornery to admit it to Joe.

Placing his hand on Steph's stomach, Joe replied "It's too late for fearing domesticity Steph. I think you've crossed the final frontier."

"Well, thank you Captain Kirk," Steph retorted in a tone that would have chilled a polar bear.

Joe had the nerve to laugh out loud. "My, my. You are in a wicked mood today." Joe grinned. "Luckily, I'm a great enough guy to overlook it."

"This is going to be a long six months," Steph said with a gusty breath full of exasperation.

Joe placed his finger under Steph's chin and turned her head until she was facing him. "Hey, I'll be with you every step of the way, going through it with you."

"Oh? Then I can look forward to you getting swollen and fat too?" Steph looked down, perused Joe's perfect--disgustingly, glorifyingly perfect male form-- and frowned. "On second thought…"

Joe smirked knowingly, not a speck of modesty within him. Steph liked what she saw and he knew it.

Joe wrapped his arms around Steph's waist and pulled her closer against him, hoping to squeeze even a little of that bristly tension out of her. As he held her, he wondered for how much longer he would be able to hold Steph just like this, before the size of her belly would prevent him from wrapping his arms completely around her. The picture of Steph in his head made him smile. "I can't wait for you to start getting bigger," Joe said, voicing his thoughts.

Surely Steph hadn't heard Joe correctly. Surely he wasn't getting all mushy about her turning into a blimp. Hormones, Steph thought. Your reaction is pure hormones. Still, the words spat out of her like bullets from a machine gun. "Shouldn't your hands be higher up when you say that?"

"No, they shouldn't," Joe said evenly, with all the patience of a saint. "I'm much too much of a gentleman to do something like that." Joe chuckled when Steph readied herself for what he was sure would be a scathing comeback…and beat her to it. "Besides, they're already bigger and trust me when I say I've most certainly been enjoying the hell out of them." That did it. With his arms still firmly wrapped around Steph, Joe could feel she was reaching boiling point. She was in no mood for joking tonight, apparently. It was time to bring her back to a simmer. "Steph, what I said is exactly what I meant. I had my arms around you and I got a nice picture in my head of how you'd look when I might not be able to do that anymore. And I look forward to it."

Steph butted an elbow into Joe's ribs, but with a lot less force than she might have a minute before. "I still can't believe you'd say you want me to get fat."

"I didn't, because you're not going to be fat, you're going to be carrying our child," Joe said as he slowly rubbed her flat stomach, leaning in to also kiss her neck. "Don't you know how happy and proud that makes me? And how beautiful that's going to make you? Even more beautiful?" He quickly added, slowly ramping up his attempts to soothe her mood. Touching Steph was creating an aching need in Joe and if men could get pregnancy cravings too, then he desperately craved her. Constantly.

"How are you feeling right now?" Joe recognized the change in his voice, the thickness he couldn't hide.

Steph recognized it too, and felt her bad mood slipping away. The Joe effect, she thought, and gave up to it. "I'm not likely to throw up on you if that's what you're worried about," she responded accordingly, with a breathy tone of her own.

"I wasn't worried. I was just wondering…"

Steph turned in Joe's arms, planted a soft kiss on his lips, interrupting his inquiry, "How about you make me feel better?" Although, really, he already had.

Joe grinned. "I can do that." He leaned in, slowly, teasing Steph with the caress of his breath on her skin before she ever felt the press of his lips on hers. Something niggled at the corners of her mind, but she couldn't bring it into focus, not with her every thought focused on how good Joe was about to make her feel. But then it was there, intruding, annoying, but not to be ignored. Steph put her hand against Joe's mouth, and even the press of his lips against her palm had her cursing inwardly.

"Wait! What about the chicken?" More than halfway past the point of reason, wanting Joe so badly, Steph leaned in to give Joe the kiss she'd denied herself with her interruption.

"There's chicken?" Joe managed to gasp out as Steph's teeth captured his earlobe.

Steph released his ear. "In the oven. I'm trying a new recipe. Since we have a kid on the way I thought I could at least try cooking once in a while."

Joe reached over and shut off the oven. "The baby and I don't care if you can't cook, and right now the chicken can wait."

"It'll get dried out. Our mother's would faint over dried out chicken," Steph protested.

"Our mothers don't have to eat it," Joe murmured, nuzzling that spot on Steph's neck that drove them both wild. "I happen to love dried out chicken."

"You love dried out chicken?" Steph gasped out, wondering how she was holding such a ridiculous conversation when Joe's lips were turning her insides to mush.

"What choice do I have? Right now, what I love more than anything is the idea of taking you right here, and if that means the chicken will dry out, then I accept it gladly." Joe lifted her onto the counter and Steph's eyes widened with shocking greed.

"Here?" Steph asked, the question laced with an undercurrent of excitement.

Joe detected the excitement and desire flared in the muddy depths of his huge brown eyes. Steph saw the desire and it called out to her as a shiver of anticipation crawled through her veins. "Here," she breathed, as she lowered her head and took Joe's mouth with a passion equal to his. Her legs slid open and Joe took his place between them.

What felt like an eternity later, as Steph sat recovering, still on the counter with her arms and legs wrapped around Joe, her eyes darted to a box on the opposte counter and they lit with new excitement.

"Did you bring me a cake?" Steph asked, her voice considerably warmer than it had been when Joe first walked in the door.

Joe lifted his head from Steph's shoulder to look at her. "Hey! It took you longer than 2 minutes to notice. That's a new record for you."

"Maybe I should have you arrested for distracting me then."

"Honey, if anyone's getting arrested it would be you, for disarming a police officer."

Steph slanted her best skeptics look Joe's way, but amusement sparked from her eyes. "Oh my God! You've been afflicted with that lesser known pregnancy symptom, excessive corniness."

"Go ahead, scoff, I can take it," Joe replied, his face a portrait of mock dejection.

Steph laughed. It occurred to her that she had a man who loved her, who was beyond thrilled about her pregnancy. That was more than a lot of other women had and scoffing became the furthest thing from her mind. She placed a light kiss on Joe's lips then twisted to put the oven back on. "First, the dried out chicken. Then the cake."

"Sounds perfect, Cupcake."


	2. Chapter 2

**Ch.** **2**

Steph languidly stretched her limbs, slowly coming awake from her nap. These daily naps were heavenly. Steph never imagined she could feel so tired, but then, her pregnancy was bringing out a lot of feelings she had never imagined. It seems her pregnancy had made her damn introspective, and wasn't that a kick in the teeth after prescribing to the denial method of dealing with her feelings for so long. A weird side effect of the pregnancy she was sure only affected her. Maybe most other women had their lives together already by the time they took this step, but Steph felt like she was just getting hers on track when she found out she was pregnant. She was one of those late bloomers, she guessed. She thought about how long it had taken her simply to admit to Joe she loved him. She had lost her aversion to telling Joe she loved him quite some time ago, but there were some days when Steph still felt herself playing things close to the vest, worrying that everything could be taken away from her any minute. Not by Joe. She absolutely trusted him. But life had a way of kicking you in the ass, and Steph still worried sometimes that her happiness wouldn't last.

In the last couple weeks, two more cops had been killed on duty. There had been a couple deaths a few weeks before that, but then nothing. The police still weren't sure if there was a connection or not, but Joe had been pulling extra hours trying to figure it out. Joe was a good cop, but it was always a worry that he would be the one not making it home at the end of the day. Steph knew it was part of the package of being married to a cop. It never went away, but on good days it was manageable. Steph had an advantage with Joe being a homicide detective, since he wasn't out on the streets every day. But the fact remained, even by merely sticking your nose into getting the answers about someone's untimely and violent death, you were putting yourself at risk. One thing was certain, Steph had certainly gained a new appreciation for Joe's worry for her when she'd been bounty hunting.

The sound of the front door brought a sense of relief Steph didn't want to examine too closely. In truth, it was something she didn't want Joe to see. Her worry for him had grown considerably since her pregnancy, because Steph knew she needed Joe by her side through this experience, and the recent killings frayed her already considerably frayed nerves. But it wasn't something she wanted to burden him with right now. Not now, when he'd been working so hard, and was so worried himself about solving the case. She certainly wasn't going to add to his burden. As she sat there in bed, fighting to control her thoughts and emotions, Joe finally made his way upstairs. The look on his face, weary, devastated, said it all.

"Another one? Steph asked gently.

Joe ran his hand through his too long hair, then scrubbed his hands over his face in a violent show of frustration. "He had a son and a baby on the way." Joe's devastated eyes shot a look at Steph's stomach, before rising to her face. Steph felt Joe's pain and frustration clear to her gut. "That's five in the last month, Steph. We're positive now that some animals are systematically targeting us. These deaths aren't natural on-the-job occurrences. The reason that makes the most sense is that the way is being cleared for a new faction to bring in their illegal activities, guns or drugs always the most likely candidate. They show off their muscle to the other criminal groups and the cops, and figure they'll get left alone. Of course, the possibility exists that this is all just random and being done for fun and sport.

Joe drew in a long breath, as his muscles bunched and his fists clenched. Steph deduced from his actions that that idea upset him the most. Murder was heinous enough, but the police could cope easier if there at least seemed to be a reason, however nefarious it was.

"They have to be stopped, Steph," Joe continued.

"Of course they do, Joe," Steph said in a soothing tone. "And I know you'll explore any leads and come up with something to follow. You're a great detective."

"I'm a good detective now, but I used to be vice."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Steph asked, wariness in her tone as she watched Joe carefully. The earlier tension was still there in his stance, his muscles still bunched tightly. But now he was also fidgeting. Transferring his weight from foot to foot restlessly. He had something he was going to tell her and Steph knew she wasn't going to like it.

"Did you have a good nap today, sweetheart? Are you feeling OK? I'm sorry I forgot to ask when I first came in."

"Don't be sorry Joe. I really didn't give you much of an opportunity and it's hardly important right now anyway."

"Don't say that," Joe said with an unintended harshness. He swiftly moved to the bed and sat next to Steph. Taking her face in his hands he stared keenly into her eyes, still slightly slumberous from her nap, but filled with trepidation as well. And concern. He could feel the strength of her concern for him. He felt the same for her and their child. "You and the baby mean everything to me. You are the most important things in my life. Now, tell me, are you OK?"

Steph reached up and stroked Joe's cheek. "We're doing really good today. I did a little cleaning in the spare room…" Joe started to protest and Steph cut him off "…and when I got tired I laid down. I'm anxious to start getting things prepared in there for the baby, but I didn't overdo. And now that you know what I did with my day, I'd like to know whatever it is that's got you all tied in knots that you're trying to avoid telling me.

Joe dropped his hands from Steph's face, and intertwined his hands with hers. "I've been asked to work top level on this case. Obviously, in the beginning that's going to mean figuring out exactly who we're dealing with and how to stop them. I don't plan on having that take too long. I want these bastards and I want them now. I have a couple ideas that I'll be pursuing aggressively. But once I have the who, the brass has asked that, if necessary, I act as bait to bring them out into the open."

Steph's eyes widened in shock. "I can't believe they would ask you to do that!"

"I said I'd do it," Joe said, and Steph could hear the steely determination that brooked no argument. Steph ignored it and argued anyway.

"What?! You can't do that! You have a baby on the way too, remember? I don't want you winding up like the others." Steph pulled her hands from the warmth of Joe's grip and placed them on her stomach. "I can't do this by myself. Who knows what I'd do to this kid. Joe, I need you." Steph's shrill voice punctured the air. Joe watched her carefully, saw the hysteria brought on by her fear. He didn't want to do this to her. He'd wanted nothing more than to protect her and coddle her all the way through her pregnancy. But this was something he couldn't walk away from, and his only option was to reassure Steph and make her understand that.

"I'm sorry Steph, but there's no way I can turn my back on this. You have to know that. We take care of our own and no animal is going to take one of us down without answering for it. And I'm going to see to it that they do. I wouldn't tolerate anything less from myself." Joe paused. Allowed his words to sink in, for the shock to fade, before he delivered the next blow. "Steph, I can't say nothing will happen to me. But I can tell you that I won't do anything I don't feel is absolutely necessary, take any unnecessary risks. You and the baby mean everything to me. You know I want to be there to watch this baby grow up, and to make more of them with you. But I also want you to know that I think you're going to be great with our baby, no matter what. Do you think when it came to picking the mother of my children I would have chosen poorly?" He smiled at her, the one that made Steph's heart hurt. "No more worrying about being a good mother. I want you to feel as good about being a mother to this baby as I do. And to please understand why I'm doing this."

"I don't understand. I don't understand at all." Tears starting running down Steph's cheeks. She was angry and embarassed and she couldn't meet Joe's imploring, loving…and regretful gaze anymore. She had disappointed him, she could see it in his eyes, and she couldn't take it. Because deep down, she still didn't understand Joe's decision and didn't think she ever could. Unable to handle the swirl of emotions, Steph vaulted from the bed and ran downstairs, slamming the bedroom door on the way out. Joe lay back on the bed and blew out a huge breath. He regretted hurting Steph, but he had hoped she'd understand his decision better. It seemed so cut and dry to him. He wasn't going to change his mind, but he wasn't going to add to Steph's stress tonight either. She was pregnant, and Joe would see to it that she took care of herself. He got up from the bed and went downstairs to arrange for some dinner.

Dinner was a tense affair. Joe called out for a Pino's delivery, and when the food arrived Joe and Steph sat in front of the TV and ate. Steph sat on the couch, Joe the chair, and not a word was spoken to each other. After dinner, each retreated to their own corner of the house. At bedtime, Joe finally sought Steph out. Coming up behind her as she sat on the chair in the living room reading, Joe pulled Steph back against him and placed his chin on the top of her head.

"Steph, please. I can't deal with this tonight. We're not going to be able to resolve this tonight, but I need you. I just need to hold you. Please come to bed with me and I promise that we'll work on this some more tomorrow."

Steph put down her magazine and stared straight ahead. She struggled to keep her voice controlled, even. "Is there a chance you're going to change your mind about the assignment?"

Joe moved his head back and forth against Steph's, half rubbing her, half confirming his denial. "I can't Steph. I'm sorry."

Steph sat perfectly still, taking deep measured breaths. She would not get hysterical again. She may not be able to get herself to see Joe's point of view, but she knew he was hurting and he was asking for her help. She couldn't say no to him. She couldn't stop herself from helping him, and she couldn't cause him more hurt right now. He had been there for her countless times, and she would be there for him. They'd have tonight, and tomorrow she'd find some way to bring him around to her way of thinking.

She nodded her head as best she could, trapped as it was beneath Joe's strong jaw. Joe eased back a bit, and Steph stood up from the chair. Moving to him, she swiftly took Joe into her arms. Joe exhaled a long breath, and as they stood there Steph felt his tension ease somewhat. Joe finally broke the embrace, taking Steph by the hand and leading her up the stairs. When they had both finished their nightly routines, they climbed into bed, where Joe cradled Steph's body next to his and wrapped his hands around her stomach.

The next morning, Joe was already gone when Stephanie woke up. Steph knew he would be. He was working ridiculously long hours on this case, and let's face it, it's not like she was an early riser anyway. She was still on her leave of absence from RangeMan and enjoying the small perks that came with it, like sleeping in. But Steph wasn't about to stay in bed all day. She had to do something constructive to keep herself from thinking about the inevitable confrontation she was going to have with Joe when he did get home. She resolved to stay calmer this time than the last time, but she was still determined to talk some sense into Joe about putting himself out on the streets to bait whoever was running around killing cops. After a long hot shower, Steph went downstairs to the kitchen. Eating was so much more pleasant now that she wasn't throwing it back up again within minutes of ingesting it. Steph smiled a tiny smile when she reached the kitchen. As always, there was a pot of decaf waiting for her. It had been hard to give up her caffeine when she got pregnant, but she still liked the ritual of her morning cup of coffee so she switched to decaf. Joe never failed to make her her own separate pot of coffee when he got up first. Just one of those little things that made her fall in love with him each day. There was a note from Joe, also standard operating procedure for him. It was short and sweet today. He loved her, he'd miss her, and he'd try to be back for dinner so they could talk. "Great," Steph mumbled to herself. Now all she had to do was figure out what she was going to say to Joe. Steph sighed, carried her coffee over to the kitchen table, and sat down to drink and think. She hadn't gotten very far into that when there was a knock at the door. She opened the front door and was surprised to see Eddie standing on the other side; but he had donuts, so she wasn't about to turn him away either.

"Hey Eddie, come on in." Steph's eyes darted down to the bakery bag. "Am I assuming correctly those are donuts?"

"You are indeed, and lucky for you, I'm sharing," Eddie said with a half smile that made Steph's instincts prickle. Eddie was known for his perpetual good humor, so the unenthusiastic smile didn't bode well.

"Hmmm…the last time I remember you bringing me donuts, you brought bad news with them. Is history repeating itself by any chance?"

Eddie's gaze turned downward for a moment, before he brought his eyes back to look at Steph. Eddie had a cop face too, and he'd just made his look like pure innocence, but Steph wasn't buying it. "I just broke out of the station for a few. I wanted to see you. Chat."

Steph gave a mental shrug. She figured Eddie would get to the real reason for his visit soon enough. For the moment, she wanted to gain some insight into Joe's mood, without revealing anything to Eddie of the trouble they'd had. "Did you see Joe this morning?" Steph asked with an innocuous air.

"Yeah, I did. Briefly. Decided to keep my distance, though, since he's acting even more like a caged bear this morning than he has been lately." Eddie studied Steph intensely, effectively turning the tables on her "innocent" inquisition. He'd known better. "Want to tell me about it?"

"Not really," Steph said guiltily, replaying her and Joe's argument last night and knowing Joe's mood was most likely attributed to it.

"Come on Steph. It's me. You know I won't judge you as harshly as other people would."

Steph forced out a humorless laugh, but couldn't force the smile. "Thanks a lot Eddie. Way to kick a girl when she's down."

"Sorry, Steph. Tell me how you're feeling. How are things going with the pregnancy?"

"Better. The vomiting has stopped and the nausea has nearly gone away, thank goodness. I'm still tired a lot, but with a nap every day I can combat that easily enough." Steph squared her shoulders. "Worrying about my husband, though, that's a whole other story."

Eddie noted Steph's defensive stance and took her hand in a placating gesture. "Steph, tell me what happened yesterday. I can tell by looking at both you and Joe that it wasn't good."

Steph exhaled sharply. This was her friend, and she needed some support right now. "Why don't we go sit down and enjoy these donuts. I even think there's some regular coffee left over. We can chat while we eat."

"Sounds good," said Eddie as he followed Steph to the kitchen.

Steph pulled some plates from the cupboard while Eddie scrounged up a mug and poured himself a cup of coffee. Then both he and Steph went to sit at the small table that occupied the kitchen.

Steph took a fortifying bite of donut, washed it down with her now chilled coffee, and jumped right in. The faster she got Eddie's backing of her position, the calmer she'd start to feel. Eddie wouldn't be here if he wasn't worried about Joe, but Steph was sure he'd see her side of things. "I'm sure you know Joe's been asked to work the lead on the cop killings, right?" Eddie nodded silently and waited for Steph to continue. "Well, when Joe told me about it yesterday, I told him I couldn't believe he would even consider doing what the boys at the top asked and that I was totally against it. I told him I couldn't support him."

"Aw, Steph. Tell me you didn't."

Steph flinched a little at the censure in Eddie's frown, then quickly shored up her defenses. She didn't have to take that from him. She needed his support, dammit!

"What? Just what exactly do you mean, Eddie? Do you want me to sit here and tell you that it's OK with me that Joe puts himself in the line of fire, baiting these criminals to come after him next? I'm sorry," Steph shouted. "I can't do that. Last time gangs were targeting cops, Joe got shot? Remember that? I can't go through that again. I can't. And now with the baby. It's too much, Eddie." Steph's outburst lost steam and she slumped back against her chair, desperately taking another chunk out of her donut for strength.

Eddie's voice wafted over to her, low and soothing. "I remember Steph. Joe remembers, too, for that matter."

Tears filled Steph's eyes, her anger depleted, pacified by Eddie's calm demeanor. She looked at Eddie now and just needed to understand. "Then why did he agree to do this assignment?" Steph asked on a whisper.

"Because he's one of the best. Because we need him. He worked Vice. He has the skills. He also has contacts on the street that are too afraid of him not to give him whatever tidbits of information there are to be had. Joe can be a tough SOB when he needs to be," Eddie said, shaking his head. "Sometimes one small piece of information is enough to bust an investigation wide open. Most importantly, Steph, because Joe is more honorable than most men I know and wouldn't allow himself to turn the job down if he knows he can make a difference."

Steph shook her head, still needing to deny the truth that was so evident in Eddie's words. She couldn't face that truth because of what it meant for her. Possibly losing Joe. "Maybe if it was just me, Eddie, I could deal with it better. But the baby changes everything. I need Joe. I need a guarantee that he's going to be there with me to help me raise it right. We're a team. I just don't know if I can do it on my own." Lowering her eyes, needing some semblance of privacy when she admitted this, Steph added, "Truth be told, I doubt that I can, no matter what Joe says." Steph had her hands in her lap, wringing them together, holding tightly to the conviction that she was right. She was.

Eddie pulled Steph's hands apart and held one in his own, gently patting it with his other hand. "There aren't any guarantees in anything Steph. But someone's out there killing cops, and they had wives and kids who wanted them to come home too. Joe can't allow himself to walk away from this. If he did, he wouldn't be the man you came to love and marry."

There was desolation and guilt shining in Steph's unshed tears. She absolutely would not cry. Eddie had humbled her with his words and she felt shamed to her very core. Her strongly held belief that she was right shattered like a glass that had been dropped from on high. She could finally see her way to understanding Joe. "You're absolutely right, Eddie. I don't know how I can be so selfish."

Eddie smiled at her, as relief shone from his eyes. "You're not selfish, Steph. It's understandable that you're worried about Joe. Noone's about to hold that against you."

"Joe," Steph groaned. "I completely screwed this one up with him. He deserves so much better from me."

"He understands, Steph. He loves you. But right now, more than anything, he needs to be able to focus on this case. Just let him know now that you're alright with everything. He needs that to put his head right."

"I hear ya, Eddie. And of course I'll do that. Joe is expecting to come home tonight and talk about this some more. I'll be quick to reassure him that I'm behind him on this one hundred percent."

"That's great, Steph."

"Look, thanks for stopping by and talking some sense into me. I appreciate it. Both Joe and I are lucky to have you in our lives."

"Maybe you can return the favor by telling your cousin that."

Steph smiled for the first time since Eddie showed up. "I can't make any guarantees, but I'll give it my best shot. She should know how lucky she is. Now, come here and give me a hug." Eddie wrapped his arms tightly around Steph and held her a couple moments, reassuring her as best he could. Not another word was spoken before he left to return to the station.


	3. Chapter 3

**Ch.** **3**

After Eddie left, Steph set to work putting Operation Make Amends to Joe into action. She had thought about calling it Operation "Steph's An Idiot and Deserves A Swift Kick On Her Ass," but it was a mouthful and saying it took up more time than she had. Steph figured Joe deserved some spoiling, and not too many things spoiled Joe more than his Mom's manicotti. Steph may have been tinkering here and there with a few of Mrs. Morelli's recipes, but no way was she even going to attempt manicotti. Steph knew the old saying, "If you want something done right you gotta have Mom do it." No wait. That wasn't quite right, but whatever. If the saying fits…. and in this case, the saying fit exactly the way she had stated it in her thoughts. Steph knew Mrs. Morelli would love nothing more than to whip her Joey up some manicotti, but she wanted to give her plenty of time to work on it, so the first thing she did was call Joe's mom. With Angie predictably on board, Steph arranged to pick up the dish in plenty of time for Joe's arrival home in the evening. Just as Steph had thought, Mrs. Morelli was happy to prepare the dinner and there hadn't even been any censure in her tone indicating that Steph was less than the perfect wife for not being able to make it on her own. For the most part, Angie and Steph had made peace with each other and Steph even had a begrudging affection for her mother-in-law.

After Steph ended the phone call, she threw Bob a dog treat that she hoped would insure his best behavior while she was gone, and left the house to run some errands. Steph's first stop was to pick up some of Joe's favorite beer. Next, she drove over to the Tasty Pastry and picked up an excessive amount of layer cake. She had lots of plans for that cake. Having secured three of Joe's favorite things for their meal tonight, Steph decided she was all set on that score. Her final stop was something she'd been thinking about for a couple weeks now, and with everything else going on, Steph knew the time was right. She pulled into the RangeMan garage, ready to talk to Ranger about coming back to work. Physically, Steph was feeling much better. Her energy levels were still on the low end, but more importantly, she had stopped running to the bathroom countless times throughout the day. That had been her main reason for taking the leave of absence. And now with Joe working on the cop killer case, Steph knew if she didn't get out of the house every day and do something to distract herself, she would drive herself crazy with worry about Joe. That wouldn't do him or the baby any good. As she walked into the office, Steph knew she'd made the right decision. The heavy buzz of activity all around her was a pleasant diversion. She found Ranger in his office. Ranger had been covering her position with a rotation of the Merry Men, whose talents were definitely better suited in the field. Ranger was more than happy to accommodate Steph, and they agreed that she'd return the following Monday. Immensely satisfied with all she'd accomplished, Steph returned home. She took Bob for a walk, and the fresh air helped to settle the jittery anticipation she was feeling about the coming evening. Although calmer, the walk, the talk with Eddie and the few errands she'd run earlier had used up her energy supply. Steph was going to miss her daily naps when she went back to work, so she figured she'd indulge herself while she still could. She took Joe's side of the bed, breathing in his scent on his pillow, relaxing into a deep sleep, while Bob snuggled up against her on her side of the bed. When she woke up a couple hours later, she realized she had just enough time to shower before running over to Angie's to get the manicotti.

When Steph got home, she put the manicotti in the oven per Mrs. Morelli's instructions to keep it warm. The beer was chilling in the fridge, the layer cake was taunting her on the counter. Everything was ready for tonight. Steph's heart skipped a beat when she heard Joe's key in the lock. She ran to the door to meet him. She was anxious to reassure him everything was alright.

"Hi," Steph said timidly. Guilt still rode her hard and she had a hard time facing Joe.

Joe stripped off his jacket and threw it on the arm of the couch. "Hi." Joe didn't know what else to say. He had braced himself for a confrontation, but unable to gauge Steph's mood he was treading lightly. "I smell manicotti," he managed insipidly.

"I asked your Mom to make it this morning. I just got back from picking it up a little while ago."

Joe raised an eyebrow. His mother's manicotti was an ace in the hole with him. Everyone knew that. So now it was just a matter of figuring out the angle Steph was playing. "If you're trying to butter me up, I guess it's only fair to tell you now it isn't going to work," Joe hissed.

Steph locked gazes with Joe. She wasn't going to hide from the mistakes she'd made with him anymore. "I wasn't trying to butter you up, although I can understand why you'd think that. You have every right to be angry. I'm trying to apologize. I'm sorry Joe. Really, really sorry. I understand how important it is for you to head up the investigation into the death's of those officers, and you have my full support." Steph smiled in a display of sincerity.

Joe was too stunned at the abrupt turnaround to take it at face value. "That's pretty different from what you were saying yesterday."

"I'll be honest. When I first woke up this morning my plan was to think of ways to convince you to take yourself off the case tonight."

"What changed your mind?" Joe asked, softening his tone, appreciating Steph's honesty enough to listen to her explanation.

"Well, right after I sat down to start my thinking, Eddie stopped by."

Joe's temper piqued again. Unfortunately, lack of sleep and the stress of the case had this happening more easily than it might have under different circumstances. "Steph, I don't want some lipservice thrown at me on account of Gazarra."

The image of the caged bear that Eddie had mentioned that morning flashed through Steph's mind at Joe's harsh rejoinder.

"All Eddie did was help me see past my fear to what I already knew deep down was true. I know working this case means a lot to you and I can't ask you not to be the person you are. The person I fell in love with. Please believe me, Joe. If I honestly didn't want to change my mind, nothing Eddie said would have made a difference. Lord knows, you should know me better than that by now."

Joe fought it, but his mouth quirked up in a small grin. Steph felt that smile like a caress. She knew from the smile that they'd successfully made it through the tough part. Now Steph just wanted to let Joe know how much he meant to her.

"Joe, trusting still doesn't always come easily for me in any situation, but I know I have to trust that everything will turn out alright. And I know yesterday I selfishly made it sound as if the only reason I didn't want you to get deeply involved in this case was because I didn't want to raise the baby alone. That really isn't it, or at least it's just a small part of it. I never mentioned that I would miss everything about the life we share. Joe, I would miss _you_." Steph couldn't stand there anymore and not touch Joe. She reached out and took his hand. "You know that fairness you spoke of a few minutes ago? That's an innate part of who you are. Along with your strong sense of justice, your integrity, sense of loyalty, your moral character…" Steph turned her head and gave Joe a sidelong glance. "Should I go on?"

"Please," Joe said with a grin.

Steph laughed and shook her head. "You're also arrogant, a tad chauvinistic and a real smart ass."

Joe expelled a huge burst of laughter. "I get it. I should've stopped while I was ahead, huh?"

Sobering, Steph replied, "You're one of the good guys and I don't think I tell you nearly enough how much I respect you, what you do every day. I should never make you feel guilty or bad in any way for being who you worked so hard to become. I'm sorry if I made you feel like like a jerk for doing something that makes you you. I am such a dope for doing that."

"I don't know what to say to that. 'Thanks' seems greatly inadequate."

"You don't have to say anything. This is my apology. You just have to accept it graciously," Steph said laughing.

"I accept."

"Thanks," Steph said as she wrapped her arms around Joe's neck and slanted her mouth over his. The kiss was soft, full of emotion and the gratitude of which she'd spoken. "I love you, you know that right?" Steph asked when they broke the kiss.

"Never a doubt, Steph. You don't have to worry about that. And, I love you too. Now what do you say, Cupcake? Should we eat? We want Baby Morelli to get big and strong."

"Come on, Joe," Steph said pulling him toward the kitchen with their still-linked hands. "Now, sit!" Steph ordered when they reached the table. Joe obeyed with a great sense of amusement.

Steph walked over to the refrigerator and retrieved a bottle of beer. After opening it, she brought the bottle and a mug over to Joe, pausing to kiss Joe soundly on the mouth before turning back to the oven to get the manicotti. Joe's amusement grew and try as he might he just couldn't contain it.

"A man could get used to this from his woman," he said in all earnestness. "Now if I only had my slippers."

Joe never wore slippers and probably never had in his entire life. The mental picture alone was priceless. But Steph was having fun too. "Forgive me for my lapse, husband, I will fetch them immediately." Steph kept her head down in what could be perceived as an act of deference, when in actuality she was trying very hard to conceal her laughter. She ran upstairs and started searching her closet. Way in the back, she found what she was looking for. A pair of slippers that had been a gift from Lula, whose tastes tended to veer from the tasteful. They were leopard print and rimmed with marabou. Joe would look fabulous in them.

Joe sat patiently at the table, drinking his beer, waiting to see what Steph had up her sleeve. The stress of the last few days eased away and was replaced by the happiness he found in Steph's company. He heard Steph on the stairs and curiosity got the better of him. He turned his head to see what she had in store for him. His gaze alighted immediately on the fuzzy, garish, ridiculous looking slippers in her hand. If she thought she was getting those things anywhere near his feet. As soon as Steph was within reaching distance, Joe's hand darted out and encircled Steph's wrist. With a light tug, he had her falling into his lap where he kissed her so intensely, so fervently, that the slippers fell from Steph's hand to the floor, forgotten, as she circled her arms around Joe's neck and applied herself to kissing him back.

Several minutes later, Joe and Steph finally applied themselves to eating dinner. They had certainly worked up an appetite by that time. As they ate, Steph decided to clue Joe in on her plans to return to work. "I stopped by RangeMan today. I talked to Ranger about returning and we agreed I'd start back up on Monday."

"Are you up for it?" Joe asked, worry creasing his brow. The word overprotective didn't even begin to cover Joe's behavior since Steph had become pregnant.

"I'm fine, Joe. I'm not tossing my cookies anymore and I think my energy's starting to return. And, it would be a lot better for me to work and keep my mind occupied then sit here alone and…" She wasn't going to say worry. She wasn't going to make Joe feel responsible or guilty for her feelings.

Joe nodded his head in understanding. "I think it's a great idea. I'm glad you're starting to feel better, but I know if anything happens while you're at work you'll be well taken care of." Joe looked lovingly up at Steph. "When this is all over, I'm going to take you out for a big fancy dinner, restaurant of your choice, to celebrate your health and being able to enjoy food again. Everything."

_Everything including Joe coming out of this alive_, Steph thought, and it sent a steady beat of terror reverberating through her that she harshly tamped down so Joe wouldn't see. All Steph wanted Joe to know was how proud of him she was. "I love you Joe. I really am sorry for being so unfair to you yesterday."

"Stop, Steph. I understand, OK? Remember I once told you that if I ever got married I'd have to marry someone I didn't especially like so I wouldn't feel bad about ruining their life?"

"At the time you told me that put me out of the race."

"Yeah, well, thanks for not holding me to that," Joe said with a smile that melted Steph's insides.

"Well, thanks for bending your rule for me."

"That's me," Joe said, leaning back in all his macho glory, "the rule breaking rebel."

Steph's eyes glittered with joy. "The bad boy with a heart of gold underneath. What a remarkable combination."

"The spitfire with a romantic side underneath. What an equally remarkable combination."

"I'll show you my remarkable side if you'll show me yours," Steph replied with a cheeky smile.

Joe stood up and moved stealthily around the table. His gaze was concentrated and hungry, but his body was controlled. Steph loved Joe when he was like this. All that amazing control would be used on her as Joe took his time loving her. Steph knew she was in for a long pleasurable night. Except…

"I almost forgot, Joe. I bought you layer cake for dessert."

Joe turned around and saw the formerly unnoticed box atop the counter. His step faltered as his gaze swung from Steph to the box and back to Steph. Finally, Joe stepped toward the box, and Steph's face fell in disappointment. "We'll take it with us," Joe growled, grabbing the box off the counter.

Steph's smile returned. "Exactly what I was thinking."

Joe wound his free arm around Steph's back as he passed her, pulling her close and fusing their mouths together in a voracious kiss. Steph went lax, leaning into Joe and simultaneously deepening the kiss. Joe groaned and pulled Steph closer, aligning hard to soft, rubbing shamelessly, teasing them both until the wanting became acutely painful. Joe pulled back and bestowed a smoldering look on Steph. "Alright, let's go."

Steph wasn't going to waste the breath that was in short supply after kissing Joe on stupid and unnecessary questions. She knew where they were going and her heart raced wildly as she worked to keep up with Joe's long strides. Joe was nothing if not virile. Making love with him was often exhaustingly wild and athletic. But the magic of Joe was that he could also be unhurried and tender. Either way, he was always thorough. Tonight, their lovemaking was slow and sweet. Joe kissed his way down Steph's body and back up again, stopping at all the spots in between that Joe had learned quickly Steph loved the best. Only after Joe had repeatedly made Steph climax to the point where she was begging for him, did he take her in the same measured manner he had employed with the foreplay. Nothing else existed within this haven of sensuality Joe created. In between bouts of lovemaking, they would take breaks to indulge in the layer cake, always finding deliciously creative ways to eat it. Everything was perfect.

Joe was pleased with the progress he had made on the case so far, so he spent as much time as he could with Steph the remainder of that week. They spent time talking about the baby and making plans, teasing and laughing, and making love. A lot. When Monday morning came, Steph got up with Joe and they took Bob for a long walk. Afterward, they showered and had breakfast together, before both going to work. Immediately, Joe fell back into his routine of long, crazy hours. Joe didn't want to disturb Steph's rest as she moved into her second trimester, especially now that she had gone back to work. It was easier just to camp out at the station so he wouldn't wake Steph up coming and going at odd hours. Furthermore, the closer Joe got to actually moving toward apprehending the criminals, the more distance he wanted between himself and Steph. He wasn't going to allow her to be used in a grudge against him. The way Carlos Leslie had planned on doing. The way the Slayers had done with him in a grudge against Steph. That had earned him a bullet. He wasn't planning on getting another one, though. No, all he was planning on getting was justice. And retribution. Yes, it was better this way, staying at the station and calling Steph when he could. Still, not being able to see Steph was pure hell.

It had been a lousy week. Steph hadn't seen Joe at all, resignedly contenting herself with her memories of their last weekend together. She treasured each phone call she got from Joe, but more often than not, Steph got updates on how Joe was doing from Eddie. Steph was happy back at work, which did serve as a temporary distraction during the day. Yet she was still constantly worried about Joe's safety and missed him terribly, but no more so than when her belly popped out. One minute, her stomach was no more than the tiniest of bumps; then, as she entered her fourteenth week of pregnancy, it seemed like she literally woke up to find her stomach had enlarged overnight. Steph remembered how Joe had said he couldn't wait for her to start showing and it saddened her that he was missing out on this milestone of pregnancy. If possible, it made her miss him even more and she fervently hoped that this would be over soon. But for right now, she and the small mound rounding her belly had to get ready for work and Steph was looking at a closet full of clothes that no longer fit. It was time to start wearing some of the maternity clothes that Mary Lou had given to her. She picked out some jeans, and paired it with a top that was cute, but didn't look as if it belonged on the baby inside her stomach, rather than on her. Steph hated all those cutsie bows and decorations that seemed to adorn some maternity clothes. Soon, when things were more settled, she'd plan a shopping trip to pick up some more stylish clothes to get her through the rest of the pregnancy. Right now, she just wasn't in the mood.

As one week moved into the second, Steph was struggling to keep her spirits up. Then midway through the week, Eddie called her at work and invited her to lunch. They arranged to meet at Pino's at 12:30. Eddie's call put Steph in the first good mood she'd had in a while, and she maintained it for the remainder of the morning, anticipating that Eddie had some good news concerning Joe. She couldn't afford to think otherwise. Steph worked steadily, keeping her mind occupied and trying to keep her heart from beating out of her chest. At 10 minutes after 12 she couldn't wait any longer. She locked up her desk, grabbed her keys and purse out of her desk drawer and headed for Pino's. She got there ahead of Eddie and ordered cold drinks for the both of them. Keeping her eyes glued to the door, she immediately saw when Eddie arrived. She stood up and came around the table to greet him. As Eddie got closer to Steph, he noticed her stomach. Reaching her, he grabbed her hands and held her arms out wide to the side.

"Oh ho, ho, when did this happen?"

Steph beamed with maternal pride. "Just a couple days ago. I swear, Eddie, it happened overnight. I woke up one morning, and boom! I had a stomach." It felt good to share it with someone, too. Steph had been stubbornly avoiding her parent's house for the last couple weeks. Both of their families knew Joe was working on the high-level investigation into the deaths of the police officers, and they assumed the danger that put him in, and Steph couldn't bear their sympathy right now. She was working too hard to hold it together as it was.

"You look great Steph."

"Thanks. Just do me a favor and don't tell Joe if you see him. I want him to be surprised when he sees it for himself."

"Mums the word. I'm the sole of discretion."

Steph pursed her lips in a blatant show of doubt, then laughed, giving Eddie a big hug. They sat down and chatted casually until the waitress came and took their order. Once she left the table, Steph voiced the question she'd been dying to ask all morning.

"How's Joe doing with the case? Is he getting any closer to finishing it?" she asked excitedly.

"Actually he has made a breakthrough…and no I can't tell you about it," Eddie said when he saw Steph open her mouth to ask. "This case is extremely hush, hush. The head of Vice is keeping a tight lid on things, and very few have access to any details on it. I don't want you worrying anyway." Eddie took one look at Steph's face and knew that was like telling a dog not to lick his own balls. It simply wasn't going to happen. Man, this was a fucking serious breach of the rules, and if his superiors found out his ass would be in a sling for sure. And that would be the highlight. But he wanted to do this for Steph. With or without the information he had, Steph was going to drive herself crazy worrying and he'd bet she'd probably worry even more without it. That wasn't good for her or the baby. Resigned, Eddie blew out a breath and gave Steph a stern glare. "This is SO off the record."

Steph beamed wide enough to drive a truck through. "Got it! Absolutely. I didn't hear a thing." Steph had to practically sit on her hands to stop from clapping them together. "Thank you Eddie."

Eddie tried to maintain the glare so Steph knew he meant business about keeping this information to herself, but he just couldn't help the small smile that stole across his face. Hell. He knew Steph wouldn't say anything. "Alright, Steph. I'm going to give it to you straight. No sugar coating. Are you sure you can handle it?"

Steph nodded vigorously, but at Eddie's words a hard lump had formed in her throat and she couldn't voice any words. Her stomach was pitching but she knew she had to hear any information Eddie had. "Alright then," Eddie replied. "First of all, our perps are a new band of scum bringing drugs into the area. Their objective is to flood the schools with their product. Real SOB's, selling to kids and killing cops." Eddie shook his head, tamping down on his anger, while Steph sat mutely waiting for the rest. "Joe's been tracking their activities and a few days ago he got word from an informer about a big sale that was going to be taking place. Joe staked out the location he was given and confirmed it was the place where the drugs were being stored. Without going into details, Joe prevented the sale from taking place. He wanted to make the suppliers mad enough to smoke them out. He didn't bother exposing himself to grab any of the small players since he wants the head honchos. He wants them bad, Steph." Steph nodded, but still didn't say anything. She concentrated on keeping her breathing even, her heartbeat steady. Eddie studied Steph for a minute, decided she was determined to hear the rest, and continued. "Joe's been laying low since he ruined the sale, but the heat is on and nobody's buying right now. Word on the street is that the suppliers are plenty pissed. The time for taking out random cops is over. They want Joe and word is they're going to take care of the hit themselves. This is our chance to grab them. Right now, we're keeping our ears to the street to determine how the hit will go down. We still have our informants out there who'd be willing to sell us that information. When we find out the set-up, Joe will put himself out in the open and we'll be waiting for them." At the glazed look in Steph's eyes, Eddie thought Steph could use a little hope. Speaking softly, Eddie said, "Steph, we're thinking this will all be over within the week."

Steph sat there dumbfounded, as an insidious chill snaked through her veins. A hit was ordered on her husband and he was going to willingly put himself in the line of fire. She knew this was coming. Joe had said from the start that he could be used as bait, but the horror of hearing the actual details outdid even her worst imaginings. She'd be strong, though. She would get through this. If Eddie admitted to Joe any part of this conversation, she wanted Eddie to be able to honestly tell Joe that she was alright. She leveled her gaze at Eddie and calmly stated, "A week is wonderful news." Quite possibly, this would be the longest week of Steph's life.


	4. Chapter 4

**Ch.** **4**

The phone had been ringing off the hook all morning. They had been calls of congratulations and calls of reassurance. While Joe was busy dealing with the aftermath of the takedown, he had asked that someone call Steph and let her know everything was OK. Everyone seemed to take it upon themselves to fulfill Joe's request. All of Steph's friends on the police force wanted to be the one to let Steph know that the takedown had gone off as planned. In the early morning hours, Joe was supposedly going to meet with an informant in an out of the way coffee shop. Not wanting this informant to ruin another buy, the "Wrens," as they called themselves, had planned to take Joe out in the parking lot before he ever had the meeting. The cops were there in full force to make sure that didn't happen. Joe was bruised and a little worse for wear but alive, and after a routine stop at the hospital his superiors had insisted on, he was coming home. It was over. But all that really mattered to Steph was that Joe had come out of it alive. Steph felt like she'd been holding her breath for days and with each phone call assuring her Joe was coming home, she'd let more and more of it out in measured gushes of relief. A huge part of her wanted to rush to the hospital to see Joe, but after not seeing him for the past few weeks, Steph preferred their reunion to be private. Besides, she'd been with Joe long enough to have learned that after resolving a big case, Joe liked time alone to decompress and come down off the adrenaline rush. So Steph decided she'd wait patiently for Joe at home, knowing Joe would understand her absence from the hospital, and she'd be ready for him when he arrived, which she knew he'd appreciate.

Placing her hands on her stomach, Steph rubbed gently. "Your Daddy's coming home today. We're going to be alright. Everything's going to be alright now," she whispered.

_Wouldn't he be surprised to see her_, Steph thought, looking down at her increasingly burgeoning belly. She hoped Joe would still want her. Lord knows she wanted him. A small smile stole across Steph's lips. She didn't really think her new figure would deter Joe. He just didn't get skittish that easily. As the day wore on to mid-afternoon, Steph had managed to sneak a shower in between all the phone calls. She fixed her hair loose and curly and applied just enough make-up to hide the strain that etched her features from worry and lack of sleep. No sense upsetting Joe now that everything was fine. When she dressed, Steph purposely chose not to wear one of her new maternity outfits. She was hoping to hide the tell-tale bump until just the right time to show Joe, and she wasn't so large yet that she couldn't cover it with loose sweats and one of Joe's T-shirts. She loved wearing Joe's clothes anyway. They always smelled like him and made her feel comforted. Once she was ready, Steph realized it was getting late in the day and she was hungry. She made her way downstairs and prepared a sandwich for lunch, eating it as she paced the tiny kitchen. When the sandwich was gone and her feet were sore, Steph headed into the baby's room to do a little clearing away of the old stuff to make room for the new. Keeping busy seemed her best option at the moment.

Steph was upstairs when she heard keys jangling below. Her heart started skipping overtime. Joe was finally home. Steph went running downstairs and found Joe standing in the entryway removing his coat and shoes. Without thought, she ran to him and flung herself into his arms, trusting he would catch her. Joe grabbed onto Steph like a life raft and lifted her up into his strong grip. She wrapped her legs around his waist as their mouths connected. Steph melted into Joe's kiss, resting her full weight against him, knowing without a doubt he'd support her. It was such an amazing feeling to need someone so much, and to have complete faith that they would always be there for you.

After several minutes, Steph released Joe and slid slowly to the floor. She looked up and took in Joe's appearance, the fatigue, the five o'clock shadow that looked more like it was closing in on seven o'clock. Joe needed some rest and some TLC. Taking his hands, Steph led him to the couch.

"Come on, let's sit down and you can tell me all about being the hero of the hour." Steph smiled at Joe, pride and happiness reflected in her gaze.

Joe's brows pinched together. "I don't know about that, Steph."

"I do. So, sit down and tell me all about it."

Joe shook his head and Steph thought she might have heard a rusty chuckle pop out of him as they sat on the couch.

Joe sat quietly for a minute, gathering his thoughts and soaking up the sight of Steph. An incongruous smile lightened some of the shadows around Joe's face. Joe couldn't say he was happy, too many fellow cops had been lost prior to today. But, of the job he and the others had done today and over the last several weeks, it was a job well done and Joe was proud. Trying to sort through everything that had happened and how he felt, Joe explained it all to Steph. How he had used information from his street contacts to ruin a large buy. How this wasn't something the gang could overlook and by angering them so intensely, he had forced their hand to come out into the open. They had to save face with their fellow criminals, and they had to teach a lesson to the other cops. And they weren't relying on anyone else to do it. Word coming from the street was that the Angels were determined to be the ones to prove that the good guys weren't a threat to their success. Joe explained how he arranged for information about a supposed meeting with a source to be leaked out onto the street. The bait was taken and they got word of the hit that was supposed to have taken place that morning. Joe was there with an entire back up team, waiting for them.

For the first time, Joe grinned. "It was great, Steph. We got them all with only a couple casualties, and it was the bad guys with the casualties." If he had been a little more hostile or aggressive than he needed to be when he arrested the perps, well, none of the other cops there seemed to be able to remember clearly exactly what happened. Joe had gotten some scrapes and bruises in the deal, but nothing serious.

Steph gave Joe a sideways look. "'Great' is hardly the word I would use to describe facing criminals in an open arena. Joe, you could have been killed. Granted you weren't, but…"

Joe waved away her words. "We were all vested. The danger was minimal."

"Minimal!?" Steph cried. "Vests don't protect your head and neck, you know."

Joe smoothed his thumb down Steph's cheek. "We did what we had to do, Steph. Anyway, we had the element of surprise working in our favor. Those idiots were just too sure they'd win."

Steph allowed her frown to ease a bit. The New Jersey cops were heroes, and as far as she was concerned, Joe was head of them all. "I am so proud of you. So proud. And so happy to have you home." Steph lightly trailed her fingertips over the bruises mottling Joe's gorgeous face.

"It's nothing Steph," Joe said gruffly. "We had to run down a couple of the perps and I got a couple bruises. No big deal."

Joe would say that, Steph thought. He would accept the aches and pains as if they went with the territory, and he wouldn't whine about them. He was so strong and capable, but whether he liked it or not, she would be there for him now. "Well, I still want to take you upstairs now and inspect for myself that you're OK. And if you're not, I'll kiss the ouchies away and make it all better."

Joe's eyes darkened and the corner of his lip quirked ever so slightly. Steph was determined to rid Joe of every last bit of tension he was still holding on to. She took his hand and silently led him up the stairs, periodically glancing over her shoulder to steal a peek at the face that she had missed so much. He looked tired, and a little wan, but his eyes were lit with passion, stirring Steph's own desires. She was looking so forward to being back in Joe's arms. When they reached the top of the stairs, Steph turned toward their bedroom, but Joe tugged on her hand and halted their steps.

"Steph, wait. Let me take care of the beard first."

"Leave the beard. It's damn sexy. And I'm already anticipating all that wonderful extra stimulation against my skin."

"You know I love it when you talk like that."

"You love me."

"Guilty."

"It isn't a crime, Detective. And on the record, I love you, too."

Joe smiled, further erasing the shadows from his face. When they reached the bedroom, Joe sat Steph on the edge of the bed and knelt before her so their mouths were practically even. He threaded his fingers through her long curls, holding her face in his palms, as his mouth drifted to hers. He nibbled at her lips, sampling what he'd been craving. At the sound of Steph's soft moan, his tongue delved in to get a deeper taste. Steph wanted the moment to last forever, and at the same time she wanted Joe to move on to something, anything that would ease the throbbing deep inside that his kisses created. All of a sudden her clothes felt confining, irritating and she wriggled in an attempt to relieve herself of the offending material. Joe responded by reaching down and pulling Steph's shirt over her head, intent on returning to kissing her as quickly as possible, but was stopped short by the sight that befell him. Joe placed his hands on either side of the rounded mound, his heart pounding against his chest until he couldn't catch a single breath. Long moments passed before he raised his head and met Steph's joyful look.

"When did this happen?" he finally managed to force out past the lump in his throat.

"Not too long ago. I swear, Joe, it was like I literally popped overnight. I don't know where it came from." Joe returned Steph's smile; and finally, all the strain was removed from his features. Steph was glad she had waited to surprise Joe with the fact that she had started to show. It seemed to be exactly what he needed.

Joe's eyes returned to Steph's body. He just wanted to look for a minute. Look at all the changes his baby had caused in Steph. He'd had no idea what he'd been missing while he'd been gone. Steph would probably be amused to know that he'd had a desk uniform acquire a pregnancy book for him. Sometimes, in the late hours when he thought his head would spin from the details of the case, he would take a break and look through the book and try to catch up on what he was missing. But seeing it in front of him, knowing it was his baby and not just a picture in a book, made his amazement even more profound. His hands traced the delicate blue veins travelling beneath Steph's skin. Gently, he cupped the fullness of Steph's breasts, the only change he remembered being there from before he started staying at the station. Joe scrutinized everything top to bottom. It was then that he noticed the thin brown line that extended down the center of Steph's stomach. Joe didn't know what that line was called; he'd have to look at the pregnancy book another time. He supposed he could ask Steph if she knew what it was called, but he didn't want to break the silent serenity of the moment as he perused all the wondrous changes to Steph's body. Eventually, his eyes and hands went back to the small mound, the life that was resting under it. And then something happened that did spoil the happiness he'd been experiencing. Was it possible that despite everything he had struggled against he really was as depraved as any of the other Morelli men—like his own father? Was this the legacy he'd pass down if he had a son? He hated to think so, didn't want to believe it, but the evidence was clearly poking him in his jeans. Disgusted with himself, he jerked up from the floor and propelled himself away from Steph. He paced a few feet away, scrubbing his hand over his face.

Steph had been sitting quietly while Joe looked at her and ran his hands over her. She reveled in his excitement, his awe, as much as she celebrated experiencing his touch again. It was wonderful to finally be sharing the visual evidence of the baby with him and to see personally that he was as excited as she knew he'd be. Steph's desire for Joe was strong, but she was determined to sit quietly, not saying a word or making any demands. She patiently waited and allowed him this time to take in all the changes, to become familiar with that sense of reality about the baby that she'd been living with since she first found out she was pregnant. Seeing is believing, as they say. Lost in sharing in Joe's happiness, his abrupt retreat shocked her. She didn't understand what had happened to make him do it.

"It seems as if I'm no better than my father," Joe raged.

Steph was stunned, and frankly a little appalled that Joe would or _could_ even consider that he was anything like his father. She was completely beyond the capability of comprehending the words that had come out of Joe's mouth. And where had the thought even come from, anyway? The only thing Steph could think of was that Joe was having some sort of meltdown that was the result of fatigue, stress and the resolution of something he had put all his focus into for so long now, even if it had ended well. Steph didn't know what to say, but she knew she had to say something before Joe interpreted her silence as agreement with what he'd said.

"How can you say that, Joe, when you have come so far in your life? You are nothing that he was and everything that he wasn't. Your father was a mean drunk who hurt the people he was supposed to love and protect. You just risked your life to protect the people you work with and to help keep kids away from drugs."

Discounting Steph's words, still seething at himself, Joe spat, "I can't even look at my unborn child without getting a damn hard-on. How's _that_ for fatherly love and devotion."

_So, that was it_, Steph thought. Joe was upset for having a sexual reaction while he was touching her and looking at their child. The Morelli sex fiend legacy rears its ugly head. Well, Steph knew Joe wasn't anything like that. And she was secretly thrilled that he still found her attractive and desirable. Her heart filled with joy at that, while at the same time it ached to see Joe castigating himself for it. She was navigating unfamiliar terrain here since it was usually Joe calming and reassuring her, but she knew she had to give it her best shot. Joe had to understand that there was nothing wrong with what had happened. Keeping her voice calm and steady, she hoped like hell that she could reassure him.

"Well, putting aside the fact that we haven't seen each other in a few weeks and I basically jumped you at the door, I think I can forgive you for finding your wife attractive in her current enlarged condition," Steph said, smiling. "I don't think it has anything to do with your abilities as a father."

Joe looked up at her and attempted a smile, but found it was beyond his capability at the moment. Steph's heart broke at the abject vulnerability radiating off of Joe. Steph saw the despair in the set of his shoulders and the tension in the hard line of his jaw and she didn't like the sight of either. There was so much pain depicted in Joe's stance, in the tortured expression on his face. Steph now understood where it was coming from, but she still wasn't sure exactly how to fix it. She never realized before the scars he still carried from his childhood. She sat and waited, still smiling reassuringly, hoping to get some cues from Joe about what he needed.

Joe blew out a large breath and came back to sit next to Steph on the bed. "I'm sorry, Steph." Still trying to justify it, Joe continued, "I didn't mean to have that kind of a reaction to you…at least not then…it's just that you look beautiful and I'm so proud…" Joe stopped, straightened and schooled his features. He was determined to hide his guilt and remorse for his flaws from Steph and concentrate on reassuring her. "I'm going to be a good father, Steph. I swear I'm going to try and do everything right and I'll be a better father than mine was, I promise you that."

"I know you will Joe. I never, ever had any doubts about that."

Joe turned away from Steph's understanding, not ready to accept it, and put his head in his hands. Steph knew Joe was hurting and she was determined to ease his pain. While Joe sat with his head downcast in his hands, Steph got up and easily slid her legs over his, bringing herself astride him before Joe could reject her comfort as she knew he would. Joe still didn't believe he hadn't done anything wrong, so he wouldn't think he was deserving of consolation. Sure enough…

Joe leaned back. "Steph, no," Joe growled out in warning.

Steph feathered a gentle kiss over Joe's lips to silence him, then helped him out of his shirt. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she brought him back to her, chest to chest. Bare skin to bare skin. Pressing her chest as tightly against his as she could manage with the bump in the way, she sought the warmth and the connection that she had desperately missed the last few weeks and suspected Joe desperately needed. Steph's lips grazed over his eyelids, currently shut tight with hurt from a remembering of a painful past that went bone deep. She trailed kisses down his hard jaw, stroking and licking a wet path to his neck and shoulder. Joe, usually one to lead the bedroom activities put his head back and accepted all that Steph was offering. Joe's breathing had grown choppy, as had her own, while the tension eased slightly from Joe's shoulders. Confident that Joe was, at least, no longer going to protest her presence, Steph felt her power, her ability to make things right for Joe as he had done for her countless times. Steph slowly eased back, raised herself up and lowered her pants to the ground, then did the same for Joe. When there was still no protest from Joe, she straddled his lap again and lowered herself onto his erection. A gush of breath escaped both their lungs at the same time. It had been far too long since they'd been this way together, joined so intimately. But comfort, not physical gratification had become the tone for their lovemaking now. Steph initiated a gentle, easy rhythm, gliding slowly back and forth over Joe. She continued her rein of kisses along Joe's face and jaw, imbuing all the love she felt for him, and all the love and lonliness she had felt for him during their time apart. She willed her kisses to erase everything but the comfort of being together again. When neither one could hold back the tide of release any longer, they held onto each other tightly and rode the waves together, Steph eventually collapsing against Joe's chest, cradling their baby between them.

For long moments they stayed that way, holding each other, recovering from the emotional overload of their reunion and everything that had transpired. Eventually, Steph lifted her head and met Joe's eyes, which looked a lot less tortured than they had a little while ago. Steph silently cheered the shift in Joe's mood and figured now would be a good time to state her faith in him again. She had the feeling the last time around, it didn't sink in.

"Well, aren't we a pair? It wasn't that long ago I was worrying about my abilities to raise our baby well. So, how about if from here on out we both have as much confidence in ourselves to be good parents, as we have in each other. Do we have a deal?"

Joe's heart squeezed at the joyous expression on Steph's face, the triumph she felt at easing his mind, and he felt like he was the luckiest man alive. Joe couldn't resist bestowing a quick kiss on Steph before responding, "Deal."

Steph nodded her head once, as if to seal it. "Good! Now, while I'm on a roll…"

Joe couldn't help laughing, his heart feeling lighter than it had in quite some time. "One agreement is a roll?"

Steph rolled her eyes. "It's rude to interrupt and to answer your question, yes! So…" Steph glared at Joe in warning to not interrupt again. "…while I'm on a roll can I get you to agree to something else?"

"Name it," Joe said with a grin, too happy now to deny this woman anything.

"Would you like to share a shower?"

"Absolutely," Joe answered and then he picked Steph up and carried her to the bathroom as she loudly protested that she was getting too heavy for him to do that. Joe deposited her in the shower and turned the water on full blast, spraying her with the cold water as reprisal for her ridiculous statement. Steph shrieked and yanked Joe in with her, where he proceeded to warm her up until the water had adjusted and could do the job.

They spent the rest of the day much as they had spent their last day together before Joe started spending all his time at the station; taking Bob for a long walk, carrying in a late dinner, then cuddling in front of the TV for a while. Afterward, they headed back to bed where their lovemaking was more wild and intense than it had been earlier in the day. When they'd exhausted themselves, they both enjoyed the best night of sleep either of them had had in weeks.

The next morning, Joe woke up earlier than Steph and as he often did he watched her and experienced the contentment that came from having her with him for the rest of his life. A frown marred his face as he noticed the red marks on her skin left by his beard. Steph really should've let him shave it off the day before.

Dozing, Steph sensed Joe's scrutiny. Sure enough, when she pried her eyes open he was staring down at her, his eyes narrowed to slits and his mouth shaped in a frown.

"Hey, Grumpy," Steph teased. "Should I run down and start some coffee?"

"I left marks on you with my beard," Joe grumbled.

Steph smiled at the memories of the previous afternoon and evening. She hadn't minded one bit. Propping herself on an elbow, she looked past Joe's grim countenance to his back. Just as she'd suspected. "Mmmm, and I loved it. Anyway, it's no worse than the marks I left on you with my fingernails."

Joe got his own flash of pleasant memories at that statement. "Yeah, that was kinda a nice surprise."

"Pre-natal vitamins," Steph responded groggily. "They're doing wonders for my hair and nails."

"Ah, the wonders of modern medicine. Remind me to ask Bella to send up an extra thank you for the pharmaceutical companies next time she's at church."

Steph laughed. "I'm sure Bella will be just thrilled with that request. No doubt she'll lecture you about making the thanks yourself, in person."

"No doubt, but I've got my own private thanks to make."

And lowering them both back down to the bed he went about his task perfectly.


	5. Chapter 5

**Ch.** **5**

"Steph, what week are we in now?"

"Hmm?" Steph looked up from the catalog she'd been perusing and sure enough Joe had his head buried in his pregnancy book again. She smiled. "We're in the seventeenth week."

Joe nodded and went right back to the book. Steph knew what was coming next. It had been roughly a week since he'd wrapped up his case and come home. It was wonderful having Joe back home with her and the baby where he belonged. Steph still didn't know what she would've done if anything had happened to him. She simply needed to have him in her life. It felt great being able to share in the pregnancy with Joe again, and it made Steph aware just how much she had missed him, maybe even more than she realized at the time. It seemed Joe had missed her and the baby just as much. Steph had been enormously touched when Joe came home from work with the pregnancy book the day after the case ended and explained how he had had someone at the station buy it for him; and how he'd used it to keep up with what was happening with her and the baby. And every night since then, he'd brought the book to bed and read passages to her about fetal life. He'd spout facts about how the baby looked now and what it would be doing. He'd marvel over any new fact that he discovered. And if he wasn't reading to her directly from the book, then most of his sentence's were phrased as questions and had to do with the baby. He wanted to know about everything she'd felt. He was particularly interested in knowing if she'd felt the baby move yet. Steph couldn't be completely sure, as the literature she'd read had been vague as to what it would feel like, but she didn't think she'd had. They both felt relieved that that was one milestone they hadn't missed out on sharing while Joe was gone. Inevitably, each one of these sessions was followed by a physical inspection by Joe to find what he'd just been reading about, and then an announcement that she and the baby were perfect. It was endearing, if not a little exhausting.

Knowing tonight would be no different than the last ones, Steph sighed, put her catalog down, and waited it out. A minute later, she listened to Joe's excited voice ramble off the newest information.

"Steph, listen to this. 'Your baby's fingers and toes are well-defined; eyelids, eyebrows, eyelashes, nails and hair are formed. Teeth and bones become denser. Your baby can even suck his or her thumb, yawn, stretch and make faces.

The nervous system is starting to function. The reproductive organs and genitalia are now fully developed, and your health care provider can see on ultrasound if you are having a boy or a girl. Your baby's heartbeat may now be audible through an instrument called a Doppler.

By the end of the fourth month, your baby is about 6 inches long and weighs about 4 ounces.'

Amazing, huh? Just so unbelieveable that all of that is going on inside of you. Do you think the baby is making faces right now?" And then as if the baby could see him, Joe started making funny faces at Steph's stomach. Beyond words, Steph was on the brink of laughter at the sight of Joe when she felt a slight fluttering in her uterus. It was so slight that she wasn't sure it was the baby, but she really, really wanted it to be and jumped to tell Joe.

"Joe, I think I just felt the baby move," Steph shouted, her voice elevated with her excitement.

Joe had stopped making faces and was once again absorbed in what he was reading, so the implications of what Steph had said didn't completely register with him. Consequently, he absently replied, "Yeah, the book said that could happen around the sixteenth week, and you're one past that so…

"Joe, put the book down," Steph said, sternly emphasizing each word, hoping to break his concentration on the infernal thing.

"Wait Steph, did you know that in a couple of weeks we're going to be able to…"

Steph didn't know if she should be amused or aggravated. Right now she didn't give a hoot what was going to be happening in a couple of weeks. She had felt the tiny fluttering again and was now convinced it was indeed the baby. She didn't want Joe missing it, but short of smacking him upside the head which she was becoming increasingly inclined to do, she didn't know how to get his attention. She went with ramping up the steel in her tone a notch.

"Joe, I mean it! Put the book down and turn your ass around. Didn't you hear me say I think the baby just moved?"

Joe turned sideways toward Steph and the look on his face as awareness dawned was magnificently comical, and worth every last shred of irritation Steph may have felt a moment ago. Joe tossed the book aside and scooted even closer to Steph on the bed. She took Joe's hand and placed it on her stomach where she'd felt the tiny ripple of movement. She prayed it would happen again so she could share it with Joe. After a week of sharing facts from a book, this was something real they could finally experience together.

"Come on baby," Joe crooned. "Move for Daddy."

Disappointment took hold as they waited for several moments while nothing happened.

Joe couldn't stand the waiting. His excitement was almost unbearable. "Please," Joe pleaded. Joe couldn't remember reading about ears yet, but who was to say the baby couldn't hear him and obey his command? Then, a heartbeat later, they both felt it.

Joe's grin split his face wide open. "Stubborn just like his mother," Joe said, his eyes twinkling with delight.

"Hey!" Steph cried, as she playfully batted him on the shoulder, "I resent that."

"Don't worry, Steph. I understand. The truth isn't always easy to hear."

"Ha! The only truth I'm sure of is that you drive me 100 certifiably insane."

"Is that a nice thing to say about the father of your unborn child?" Joe asked with feigned hurt. Directing his attention back to "the mound" as he was affectionately beginning to call it, Joe continued, "Don't listen to Mommy, she's just a tiny bit upset that you already listen to me better than she ever has."

Steph let out a flabbergasted gasp, before the sheer pleasure of the moment stole her fake bluster. She was too excited about feeling the baby to keep up the banter any longer. She simply wrapped her arms around Joe's waist and snuggled into his returning embrace.

"You know, every milestone makes the connection I feel with the baby even stronger," Joe mused.

"I know. I'm so glad you wrapped up the case with the Wrens and were here safe and sound when it happened."

"Me too," Joe said quietly, his eyes bright.

Steph pulled out of Joe's embrace and glanced up at him with a reproachful look. "Even if you did almost miss it reading your book."

"Yeah, sorry about that," Joe said with a sheepish grin. "And speaking of the book..."

Steph groaned, Joe laughed. "Now wait, the book said that the sex of the baby is distinguishable now. What do you think? Do you think you want to find out what we're having?"

Steph had been giving it some thought lately, and she knew her answer. She felt knowing the sex of the baby would help prepare her, to have some idea of what she could expect. Maybe that wasn't actually true, but she figured it couldn't hurt. Besides, knowing what you were having made shopping a whole lot easier. "I do, do you?"

"Anything you want, Steph. But yeah, I think it would be fun to know too. Which reminds me. I forgot to ask you if you had an appointment for an ultrasound yet." Joe breathed out a heavy sigh. "It seems like there's so much I need to catch up on," Joe said in earnest. He might have done what he knew was right, working the cop killing case, but leaving Steph had been extremely difficult.

Steph immediately picked up on the shift to somber in Joe's tone of voice. "I'd say you've been doing a great job of that this past week," Steph said, leaning forward to give Joe a small kiss. "And, no, I don't have an ultrasound appointment yet. It's still a little early. But I do have an appointment with my doctor on Thursday. I think I'm going to get to hear the heartbeat for the first time," Steph advised, hoping that would perk Joe up. "And I'll probably schedule the ultrasound then."

Joe's expression became even more solemn. "I have a big hearing Thursday that I can't miss. We're still in the process of cleaning up this mess with the Wrens. I'm sorry, but I'm not going to be able to be there."

"It's OK. There'll be plenty of other appointments," Steph assured Joe.

"Well I'm not going to miss the ultrasound. I can't wait to see our baby for the first time. As soon as you have a date, I'll make sure to arrange the time off, OK?"

"Perfect." Steph snuggled up against Joe's chest again and within a few minutes, she was asleep. She still tired so easily these days, and since she'd gone back to work she didn't have the chance to nap like she used to. Joe gently stroked Steph's hair as she slept and went back to reading his book.

Two days later, Steph sat in her car after her doctor's appointment just trying to catch her breath. She was a bit discomfited that she had actually gotten choked up in the doctor's office when she heard the baby's heartbeat for the first time. Although feeling the baby move had been fantastic, for the most part the pregnancy still felt like something that was happening TO her body, rather than a separate being having its own existence inside her. Hearing the heartbeat changed that for good. It stunned her and touched her and just brought every symptom and moment from the last weeks all together to this moment of truth. There was a tiny new person within her that she was completely responsible for. It was an awesome and daunting thought. She had made an appointment for an ultrasound in three weeks. Suddenly, it couldn't come soon enough for her. She was anxious to meet this little person, even if it was only to be onscreen for now.


	6. Chapter 6

**Ch.** **6**

Over the last few weeks, the baby's movements had became much more pronounced. Steph had often gotten distracted at work attempting to learn to distinguish a twirl from a flip. Joe had been trying to keep his caseload light so he could be home for dinner with Steph as many nights as possible, never hesitating to join Steph in guessing what the baby was up to whenever she felt it moving around. Within the last week, the movements had progressed to actual kicks and Joe had pronounced his baby an all-star. And in keeping with the tradition established the night they first felt the baby move, it seemed the sound of Joe's voice was almost a sure fire way to get a response from the baby. Joe was having a real field day with that, and Steph had already decided she was going to have to have a real good talk with the kid once it was born. She couldn't have it showing her up by making things easy on Joe all the time.

As Joe had promised, he'd already arranged to have the day off for Steph's ultrasound appointment, which was coming up in a matter of days, no matter what came up at the station. That was one event he was definitely not going to miss. Both Joe and Steph were greatly looking forward to it. It was a magical time for them, full of love and happiness as they celebrated their new family. They both stuck to the deal they had made with each other, and if either of them still occasionally entertained any doubts that they would make good parents, they tried their best to squelch them. Neither of them wanted to mar this wonderful time, with the dangers and anxiety that marked the beginning of the pregnancy getting increasingly further behind them.

Steph sat in bed, restless and edgy, anticipation riding her hard. She'd already been to the bathroom twice and downstairs to feed Bob. Now, she was fighting with her own hands, alternately putting them just above Joe's shoulders and then pulling them back to her sides again. He looked so warm and snuggly and peaceful, and he'd certainly earned his sleep last night Steph thought with a huge grin on her face. Still…her hands once again moved above Joe's shoulders and this time there was no pulling them back. They descended with a thud and started lightly shaking their target.

"Joe! Wake up, Joe."

Joe, usually a morning person, was hunkered down in the blankets grasping at a few extra minutes of sleep, desperately needed after the night before. _Come to think of it_, Joe mused as he slowly came awake, _Steph should be equally exhausted_. Groaning, he flipped over to greet his oddly perky wife. "What are you doing up so early Cupcake?"

"Today's the day!" Steph exclaimed, practically bouncing on the mattress as if it were a trampoline at the circus. "Our ultrasound appointment. You didn't forget, did you?"

"No! Of course I didn't forget. But it isn't until later this afternoon and you need your rest, Sweetheart."

"I can't rest today, I'm too excited. I've been totally looking forward to seeing the baby and finally finding out what we're having." Steph still felt like she was bouncing like a damn cheerleader, so she turned to Joe and placed her hand on his bare chest to compose herself. Only she hadn't really thought that through, because touching Joe usually had the opposite effect on her and images of last night came crashing into her mind. Smiling like the cat that got the canary, she said, "Maybe you shouldn't have kept me up half the night."

Accepting the fact that he wasn't getting any more sleep today, Joe sat up in bed next to Steph. Looking at Steph through bleary eyes, he lazily rubbed them and said, "I beg your pardon, but who kept who up half the night?"

"Whatever! I didn't hear you complaining," Steph replied saucily.

"And you never will," Joe responded with a gentle smile. Joe was slowly coming to terms with his issues regarding his father, but one belief he'd already divested himself from was that being with Stephanie was anything but amazingly right. He enjoyed making love with her as much now as ever, if not more so, and they were having a great time exploring new ways to get around Steph's expanding middle. Joe lifted Steph's hand from his chest and placed a kiss on the palm. Passion arced between them, but Joe wanted to continue their conversation, so before they got carried away he steered things back to the topic at hand.

"So, about finding out the sex of the baby today. Do you have a preference one way or another?"

"I know I'm supposed to say 'no,' that I just want it to be healthy—blah, blah, blah—and of course I _do_," Steph said, putting her hand out in front of her for emphasis, "but I really am hoping for a girl this first time. At least I know girls. I know we said we'd have more confidence in ourselves as parents-to-be, but I still worry sometimes and I just feel like I'll have a tiny head start if it's a girl." Steph got lost for a minute in the intense look that swept across Joe's face. She couldn't quite decipher it. "I bet you want a boy, huh?" Steph asked, guessing at what Joe might have been thinking.

Joe smiled, erasing the intensity from a moment before. Now he just looked warm and rumpled and downright sexy. "Nope! I want a little girl too." Steph's brows pinched together in doubt. "What! I have a real soft spot for the female population. I'm sure you've noticed how I have a way with the ladies."

A beat passed before Steph reached behind her, grabbed her pillow and whacked Joe with it. Joe laughed raucously as Steph continued her assault, until he was finally able to catch his breath long enough to retaliate. A gentle wrestling match ensued. Joe took infinite care with Steph, but her bulk made her movements awkward and Joe had no trouble at all getting her pinned beneath him after a few minutes. Looking up into his eyes, Steph wriggled beneath him and smiled when she felt his reaction. "You don't seem to have any soft spots right now."

"Well, I don't see any ladies around, do you?" Joe asked, his eyes flashing mischief.

As Joe assumed would happen, Steph retaliated with another furious wriggling of her body, but in such close proximity to each other it only served to rub the two of them together and Joe reveled in the sensations it brought him. Steph was having a similar reaction but she'd be damned if she gave in that easily. She struggled a bit longer, but when it was obvious Steph could do nothing more to him physically than rub against him due to the way he had her pinned, she opened her mouth to assault him verbally instead. Joe took full advantage, bringing his mouth down to hers and sweeping his tongue into her open mouth, tasting her, absorbing her, gentling her, until she stopped fighting, stopped remembering why she was mad in the first place, and gloried in his possession. Much, much later she lay with her head pillowed on Joe's chest, listening to the erratic sounds of his heartbeat as they slowly returned to normal, lulling her back to sleep to get the much needed rest Joe had suggested earlier.

Later that afternoon, Joe and Steph arrived at the clinic they'd been sent to for the ultrasound, a dual bundle of nerves. The test would be conducted here and the results sent to Steph's regular doctor. Afer signing in, they chose two chairs in a corner of the waiting room and sat down. Steph commenced bouncing her knee in a steady jackhammer kind of a rhythm, and Joe tapped his hand on his jean clad thigh in a staccato beat. Every once in a while they'd glance each other's way and smile, but they rarely spoke except to exchange the most banal chatter. Other expectant mothers and couples dotted the office around them, all awaiting their turn as well. Joe wished he could muscle his way to the front of the pack but he didn't think police authority extended to Obstetrics Clinics. So, the jackhammer knee bounce and the staccato thigh tapping continued.

Finally, their turn arrived and they were called back to the tiny room in which the ultrasound was going to be performed. Steph lay on the table and Joe pulled a chair up right next to her. He took Steph's hand and listened intently as the technician, Beth, explained the procedure to them, and the sorts of things she'd be looking for. She let them know that she was going to start with listening for the baby's heartbeat again, and then proceed with the ultrasound after that. Steph felt the cold jelly touch her skin, flinched slightly, and felt Joe's grip tighten reassuringly. She wasn't in any pain, certainly, but still Joe sought to comfort her. The technician moved the Doppler over Steph's stomach, searching, and Joe held his breath in anticipation. As soon as the technician located the exact spot, the sound of the tiny heartbeat filled the small, quiet space.

Even though Steph had heard the heartbeat already, it still filled her with renewed wonderment. And making the moment even more profound was the man sitting next to her, holding her hand, as his trembled ever so slightly in her grip. This man could face down dangerous psychopaths without flinching, but was reduced to trembling by the sound of one small heartbeat. Steph's own heartbeat strained under the force of love she felt for Joe in that moment. Beth turned away for a moment to put away the doppler and ready the ultrasound equipment.

Joe leaned close to Steph's ear. "I love you," he whispered, "and thank you."

"I was just thinking the exact same thing," Steph softly replied.

They smiled at each other, enjoying the moment, until it was time for Beth to start the ultrasound and they turned their attention to the screen. For several minutes Steph and Joe sat perplexed, trying to make heads or tails of the white blob on the screen while Beth took measurements, looked for whatever she was supposed to look for, and input the data. When she was finished, she started to help Joe and Steph make sense of the blob.

"Here's the baby's head, and you can follow the curve of its spine here, then around. And oh…"

"What? What is it? Is there something wrong?" Joe demanded, ever the sane expectant father.

Quite used to expectant fathers, Beth smiled and patiently explained that everything was fine. "The baby is sucking its toes. They do that a lot. Here, look," Beth pointed out with her finger, "you can see the leg curving around and then here's the baby's mouth."

The two elated parents sucked in their breaths simultaneously. They were astounded by the sight of their baby happily ensconced in his warm, safe haven doing something as basic, as _real, _as sucking his toes. Steph's eyes filled with tears as her heart squeezed almost painfully. And she wasn't even embarassed about it this time. She turned her head from the beautiful image to look again at Joe. Raw, naked emotion played on his face and it was pure love that was etched into every feature, his very expression screaming the emotion. Steph could see that Joe was fighting for control, but that it was a hard fight. Steph's own control had failed to materialize and the tears that had formed in her eyes were slowly making their way down her cheeks. Joe finally turned from the screen himself to look down at her, and with a beatific smile on his face, gently thumbed away her tears as they held each other's gaze.

The spell was broken when Beth asked, "Were you hoping to find out the sex of the baby today?"

"We were," Steph responded, turning back to Beth. "Isn't that OK?"

"It's OK with me, but Junior here has some say in the matter," Beth replied with a grin. "With the baby's current position bent at the waist, I can't see what it has—or doesn't have—as the case may be."

Steph's face fell. She had been looking so forward to finding out the sex. She never imagined the baby wouldn't cooperate. She supposed this was her first experience on the parental side of kids not always doing what their parents want them to do. Steph scowled as she had the thought that this could be what's meant by cosmic justice.

Beth saw the disappointment on Steph's face, Dad's too for that matter. "Why don't I just punch in a few more pieces of data and get this report ready to send to your doctor, and we'll hope the baby moves during that time."

Steph turned to Joe and waved her hand, motioning him to bring his head closer. "_You have to talk to the baby," _Steph hissed. _Now! It always moves to the sound of your voice_."

"That's in the privacy of our own home, Steph. There's no way I'm going to talk to the baby in front of Nurse Nancy."

"It's Beth."

"Whatever. I'm not doing it."

"Don't you pull that macho bulldog act on me now, Morelli. I want to know the sex of this kid today, so start talking Big Boy." Steph saw Joe's mouth open ever so slightly and she just knew another crafty argument was forthcoming. Joe could be bull-headed when his alpha male status was in jeopardy. Steph wasn't going to give him the chance. "Listen, I'm sure Techie over there will find you just as adorable as I do when you start cooing to 'the mound.' I bet you'll for sure get lots of dates," Steph said with a cheesy smile.

"Wise Ass," Joe said, returning the grin. Steph rarely called him 'Morelli' anymore; when she did she meant business. Joe was reconciling himself to the fact that there was no way out of this. There was no way he could deny Steph anything anyway, and besides, he wanted to know the sex of the baby just as much as Steph did. Still, maybe later he'd exact revenge for her high handedness by tweaking her with the fact that the baby seemed to like his voice best.

"I learned from the best. Now, talk!"

Yep, a little tweaking was definitely in order for Mrs. Stephanie Morelli. For now, Joe bent to Steph's stomach and babbled to the baby in the tone it preferred, asking…no begging, for he/she to move and as quickly as possible. The technician had started glancing their way and Joe's embarrassment was increasing exponentially.

Finally, Beth turned around, finished with her tasks, and walked back to Joe and Steph. "OK, now let's see what we have and finish this up so you can get out of here and enjoy the rest of your day." She placed the wand back on Steph's stomach, moving it around and once again bringing the image of the baby on the screen. Instantly, Joe took Steph's hand again at the sight of their baby. Steph smiled at him. No matter how they might banter with each other, they were in this together and cherished every moment of it.

"Well, the baby stretched out," Beth said, turning back to Joe and Steph. "I'm impressed." She batted doe eyes at Joe and gave him the kind of smile that a woman gives an attractive man when she's trying to catch his eye. Joe grinned back at her, basking in the female adoration being pelted at him. Steph mentally rolled her eyes. This was her cross to bear for being married to Trenton's sexiest guy. Women couldn't help falling under Joe's spell. Steph understood, of course, but that didn't mean she had to put up with it for long. She cleared her throat, effectively ending Techie's trance.

Techie immediately looked back to the screen and after a moment said, "Are you sure you want to know the sex?"

Joe accurately read Steph's slightly hostile expression aimed at Beth and answered for her. "We're sure. What do you see?"

"Well, in this case it's more a matter of what I don't see. Congratulations you two, you're having a girl."

A girl. Steph couldn't believe her ears. She was going to have a girl. Man, what if it was like her? Steph felt a sudden surge of respect for her mother who had raised her so well. Knowing she was going to have a daughter of her own made her feel this new bond with her mother and she couldn't wait to see her again and give her a big ole' hug. Steph was thrilled, nervous, excited. She was on emotional overload and couldn't sort through them all right now. And she couldn't bring herself to look at Joe. If she looked at him and saw what she suspected she would after Joe heard he was having a daughter, she was going to lose it a second time. Joe had surprised Steph a little this morning when he'd said he wanted a daughter, but the more she'd thought about it the more it made perfect sense to her. Joe would be an awesome father to a little girl. Steph's eyes started tearing up again at the thought. Who was she kidding? She was going to lose control whether she looked over at Joe or not and how could she not look at him? This was such a profound moment in their lives.

Steph turned toward Joe and sure enough, he had tears gleaming in his eyes. Oh, once again he was trying hard enough to look stoic, but the tears were unmistakingly there. He'd wanted a girl so badly. There had been other times since they found out they were pregnant, when Joe thought she wasn't around, that Steph had seen him teary-eyed. Maybe he was having some of those sympathetic pregnancy symptoms she'd read about, because his hormonal reactions seemed to be as bad as hers sometimes. Steph would've loved it if he could have shared some of the nausea in the beginning with her as well, but as symptoms go, the tears were pretty damn good for a cool cop like Joe. Steph squeezed his hand in silent understanding of a shared joy.

Joe felt Steph squeeze his hand and met her eyes. She was beaming with happiness. Joe was equally thrilled to be having a girl. Another female in his life to love and watch over. Nothing brought him greater happiness than that. He loved little girls with their bright, shining eyes, even brighter smiles and sweet laughter. Damn, but he just loved their little giggles. If she was anything like Steph, she was going to be a little dynamo and raising her would be a veritable challenge. And Joe was going to love every damn second of it. His life was perfect.

Beth let them know that they were all done, the baby was healthy and developing normally, and that she'd be sending the report to Steph's doctor right away. Joe surreptitiously cleared his throat behind his hand, having developed an odd tickle all of a sudden, then thanked Beth for all she'd done, as well as for giving them some extra time to allow them to see what they were having. Steph was feeling much less solicitous toward Beth ever since she'd gone gooey for Joe, so she proceeded to get her clothes back in order and let Joe handle the niceties. No doubt Beth was immensely appreciative of that anyway.

"We've got dinner at your parent's house tonight, right?" Joe asked as they were driving home from the clinic.

"Yeah, why?"

"Why?!" Joe yelped, as his eyes bugged open. Because I'm having a daughter, that's why! I can't wait to tell everyone we know. Hey, do you mind if we stop at my mom's house on the way to your mom's?"

Dizzy, Steph chuckled at Joe's exuberant speech and just nodded her head in response to his question.

"Great! And then this weekend we can go shopping."

Now it was Steph's turn to be incredulous and play the parrot. "Shopping?! But you hate shopping."

"Yeah, but our daughter needs clothes, doesn't she? We gotta protect her modesty."

Steph didn't know exactly how large her daughter's little finger was at this point, but she did know that already she had her Daddy wrapped around it.


	7. Chapter 7

**Ch.** **7**

Steph was lying in bed with her back against two pillows and her feet propped up on two more. The thrills of the second trimester had slowly given way to the ills of the third trimester over the last 10 weeks. The little kicks and flips that had so enthralled Steph had been replaced with hard jabs to the ribs or various internal organs and were no longer quite so enthralling. The onset of heartburn and swollen ankles had been a treat. Not to mention the sleepless nights as Steph tried to get comfortable with a beach ball in her way, the constant peeing, and her loss of balance. She'd also lost sight of her feet about 2 weeks back and her Jersey girl shoe fetish was a thing of the past. She was more into the comfortable, aka boring, look these days. Steph didn't take to discomfort well on a good day, and there were less and less good days lately. As a result, her mood had sunk back into the depths of hell from whence it'd come during those numerous first cheery weeks when she couldn't stop tossing her cookies. Joe's patience with her was the stuff legends were made of, and she was grateful every day for his support. His inexhaustible excitement about the baby fueled her own, even when she was feeling her worst. No matter what she felt physically, Steph couldn't help but be excited that she and Joe were having a little girl. Their very own daughter. A daughter for which she had yet to find a name, which was why she was currently sitting in bed looking through a baby name book while Joe sat next to her going through some reports for work.

The baby name book was Steph's latest attempt in a long line of attempts to find a name for the baby. In the 10 weeks since they'd found out they were having a girl, she and Joe had "tried on" different names, not really coming up with anything that they liked. At 30 weeks and counting, Steph felt like time was running out. Besides, she was tired of referring to the baby as _she_, _her_ or _the baby_. It felt impersonal to Steph, whereas the baby let her know every day, almost all day, just how much of a person she was. Steph knew the baby's likes and dislikes, such as her favorite positions and time of day. Steph was pretty sure she knew what kind of food the baby liked best since the baby always kicked extra emphatically after being given a sugary treat. A girl after Steph's own heart. Joe loved teasing her about how much the baby was already starting to act like her. Her mother too, for that matter. Ever since she and Joe had announced they were having a girl, her mom would say things like, "You'll see. Just wait. You'll see." Looking back at her own childhood, hell, the majority of her adulthood too, that was not a comforting notion. Returning her attention back to the task at hand, Steph recognized that while she did know a lot about her daughter, what she really wanted to know most now was her name. So, Steph diligently returned to scrutinizing the baby name book.

Joe had been going through some reports for work, but his eyes kept straying to Steph. She was awkwardly sitting up in the bed, struggling to get comfortable, and all Joe could think of was how damn cute she looked in her pajamas, her round stomach largely protruding under the blankets. The mound was like a beacon calling him, as it always did. Joe put his reports down on the nightstand and peeled back the blankets. He shifted to his side and moved his hand over Steph's belly as he had so many times before, experiencing the symphony of kicks and rolls orchestrated by the baby.

"Ya know, this never gets old," Joe said with wonder, breaking Steph's concentration. Although, truth be told, she was still on the "A's" so she hadn't been concentrating all that hard. Her concentration had already been diverted by small, strong feet and large, warm hands.

"Hmmm, spoken like the person who feels it buffered by six layers of fat. What started out as wonderful is becoming increasingly uncomfortable. Your daughter's getting quite strong and those jabs to my bladder and rib cage really smart."

Joe chuckled. "That's my girl." Steph glared her disagreement with that sentiment. "Not the part about hurting you, of course, just the part about her being strong and healthy." Steph didn't look any more appeased, so Joe kept trying to climb his way out of the hole he'd dug. "I don't know what fat you're referring to anyway. You look absolutely perfect to me."

Steph rolled her eyes. "Right, I've heard that before. But perfect people can see their feet. And they don't have to either mercilessly shove those feet into shoes that fit perfectly fine just a few months ago or else wear comfortably ugly shoes."

Joe shook his head and made sympathetic noises, which Steph summarily perceived to be quite phony. "S'not funny," Steph grumbled.

Joe pulled his brows together and attempted to firm up his expression. "No, of course not. I'm not laughing. I'm very sorry about your feet." Steph nodded her head once, her declaration that Joe had successfully placated her. But Joe wanted more than to placate her, he wanted to see her smile. "I want you to know I heard all that stuff you said about your feet, but despite all that, you're perfect to me." Joe had pitched his voice low and his attention was focused once again on Steph's belly, so it took a minute for her to realize what Joe had said. Joe watched out of the corner of his eye, and saw the small smile that stole its way across Steph's face. He didn't say anything, just kissed Steph's stomach before he resumed rubbing it. Mollified, Steph returned her attention to the book.

A half hour later, it was approaching the time when Steph enjoyed having a hot cup of peppermint tea. "Enjoyed" might actually be a strong word for it, but she did find that it helped to ease her heartburn so she could sleep more comfortably. As Steph perused the baby name book, Joe noticed the time and went downstairs to make Steph her tea. When he returned to the bedroom and handed Steph the mug, she looked up at him with a sparkle in her eye and a huge grin on her face.

"Looks to me as if you found something you liked in there."

"I have, Joe," Steph said with glee. "What do you think of Carrissa?

Joe considered it for a minute, tossing it around in his head, letting it roll off his tongue a few times. "I like it! It's a really pretty name. And I am quite partial to names that start with "C," Joe said, gifting Steph with a tender smile.

"My name doesn't start with…," Steph started to say before the light bulb came on. "Cupcake. Of course."

"My one and only." Steph took a sip of her tea and sighed. Joe was one hell of a good husband. She didn't know what she'd have done without him during this pregnancy. The cheesy romantic things he threw out every once in a while were just icing on the cake…or Cupcake, as the case may be.

Joe was prone to giving in to her on most everything these days, so Steph really wanted to make sure the name she'd chosen was truly alright with him. Locking eyes with him, Steph asked, "So, do you really like the name? It's important that we both like it."

Joe climbed back into bed next to her. "I do, Steph. As long as _you're_ sure. I'm guessing you didn't get very far in the book since you chose a 'C' name. You've got a whole lot more book there to cover."

"I know, but I saw it and I just knew, _'that's the one'_."

"OK, then, that's it. We have ourselves a name." Joe grinned and pulled Steph in close to his side. "Hard to believe we finally picked one." Joe blew out a deep breath at the thought. "The mound finally has a real name." Steph giggled and snuggled against Joe, relieved and happy. "Wait!" Joe shouted suddenly. "What about a middle name?" Shrugging, he added, "I suppose you can keep going through the book for that."

Steph sat up and faced Joe. "Actually, I've been thinking about the middle name for a while and I think I know what I want it to be. I didn't want to say anything until we had picked a first name and I was sure they'd sound good together, but…" Steph ended her babbling and took a deep breath. She was really excited about this idea and was praying Joe would like it too. "I want the middle name to be Isabelle."

Joe felt completely taken aback. He was, to say the least, a little astounded by Steph's suggestion. Happy with it, but still astounded. "After Bella?" Joe asked, just to be sure he understood it correctly. It was simply too hard for him to believe Steph would want to do that. Despite Bella's bluster, he had a real soft spot for the old broad. But he was fairly certain Steph didn't share that same sentiment.

"Well, yeah. I mean it's close to her name, but still different enough to be unique for the baby. I like the name and…well…" Steph was hesitant to admit the next part. Joe seemed so happy with her announcement, she thought maybe she should let him believe the gesture was completely magnanimous. Ah, what the hell. "I was kinda hoping this might get me lifetime immunity from the eye," Steph added quickly.

Joe looked at Steph for a minute, her eyes downcast, looking sheepish and contrite, and he burst out laughing. Leave it to Steph to find the loophole that would get her out of trouble, as she did frequently find herself in Bella's sights. Shaking his head, Joe said, "I think we just might be able to negotiate that, Cupcake. Bella will be thrilled."

Steph lifted her head up and looked at Joe, all cheerfulness and good natured amusement. She was so glad he approved of her idea, and abided all her motivations for it. "Well, I figure since you're her favorite grandson she can't be all bad."

Joe smiled. "Well, she's definitely not the easiest person around. But she means a lot to me and so does naming the baby after her. Thanks, Steph."

Joe laid his head against Steph's stomach. "Hello, Carrissa Isabelle. You have no idea how excited I am to meet you." A hard kick landed on Joe's jaw. "Ow!" Joe exclaimed. Pulling his head away before his daughter could belt him again, he rubbed his sore jaw. "I think that's going to leave a mark," Joe grumbled.

"Oh my god. Don't tell me my tough, strong husband was felled by a tiny, weak female."

"Tiny, maybe," Joe said, rubbing his jaw again, "but definitely not weak. Another way she takes after her mother."

"Well, now, that just earned you a get well kiss."

Joe flexed his jaw and produced his best devilish grin. "Figured as much. Let's just hope Carrissa gets her father's smarts."

Steph's lips raised slightly in a tiny smile. "Yes, let's," she demurred, right before she gave Joe's jaw one hell of a great get well kiss. Right up until the time she got a foot to the ribs, that is.

"Ow!" Steph yelled just as Joe had before, glaring down at the person inside her stomach using her as their personal punching bag.

"Uh-huh!" Joe gloated, feeling very vindicated. "Not so funny when you're on the receiving end now is it?"

"Never mind that, Joe. Look!"

Joe looked down and saw a foot sticking up from Steph's belly. It was so visible, he could count each individual toe and where the foot ended at the heel. Of all the things that had happened so far with the pregnancy, this one had him the most astounded. It was the coolest thing he had ever seen.

Steph did not share in Joe's enthusiasm. "Dear God, I look like an alien! _Literally_. I mean, didn't something like this happen in that movie Alien? Oh, ewww…" Steph sat up straighter, gearing up for the second wave of her tirade. "Joe, what if she leaves it like that? It'll be visible under my clothes! People will think I've grown a third boob or something. I'll have to go into hiding!!"

Steph was venturing into hysteria, so Joe calmly took her hands into his. "Steph. STEPH," he said again louder when he didn't get her attention the first time.

Steph responded to Joe's commanding tone the second time, and looked up at him. "I think based on size relativity alone, nobody is going to mistake Carrissa's foot for a boob."

Steph, appalled, huffed at Joe. How very _male_ of him to bring up the size of her boobs! Joe, having heard the sharp, indignant intake of breath kept going before Steph could say anything in reprisal. Apparently, Steph was not going to be appeased with a little humor. "Now! Since I hate seeing you upset, let me try to convince Carrissa to pull her foot back a bit. OK?"

"OK," Steph replied sulkily. She couldn't argue with Joe if he was going to be _reasonable_ dammit.

Of course, as soon as Joe had spoken a few words to the baby in that gentle, soothing tone of his, the foot disappeared. "Works like a charm every time," Joe said, grinning.

"Do NOT start that 'favorite' business again."

"Not me," Joe said, a picture of innocence. "I didn't say a word."

Steph pursed her lips tightly so she wouldn't smile and narrowed her eyes ever so slightly, but Joe was immune to her sour moods and gently kissed the bluster right out of her. After a couple of minutes of Joe's soft kisses, Steph felt light headed and a whole lot calmer. She had the best husband in the world and thanks to him she'd narrowly escaped alien citizenship, her stomach once again a smooth bump. Now that she was calmer and could reflect on the episode rationally, she had to admit it was a pretty amazing deal to have seen the baby's foot so clearly like that.

In a much more personable mood, Steph thought to go and see Connie and Lula the next day to catch up with them and fill them in on what'd been happening with the baby. Things had been very busy at RangeMan, and equally busy at home preparing for the baby, so it had been a couple weeks since she'd seen them. Steph suspected that they were giving her a wide berth anyway, due to her less than stellar moods of late.

Steph smiled at Joe. "Thank you for calmly dealing with my crazy moods, and for saving me from alien status. I think I'm going to go visit Connie and Lula tomorrow and I can just imagine the comments that would have generated from them."

Joe entertained a couple amusing thoughts about that himself. "My pleasure," he replied before giving Steph one final kiss. "What do you say we call it a night, huh? I think we've had just about enough excitement for one day."

Steph laughed. "I agree." Joe helped her rearrange the pillows so she could sleep comfortably on her left side, as the book recommended, then he settled in behind her.

Connie and Lula had been going over their plans for Steph's baby shower when she came plodding in the door of the bonds office without warning. They quickly shoved aside all evidence of what they'd been doing and turned toward Steph. It had been a couple of weeks since both of them had seen her, and both were equally surprised to see how much bigger Steph's stomach had gotten in that time. Connie knew better than to say anything to Steph, but Lula didn't have the same censor button that most other people had.

"Dang you big! Are you sure you don't got twins in there?"

Connie wasn't surprised to see Steph was not amused. "Bite your tongue, Lula. There are _not _twins inside of me."

"Well then maybe they got your due date wrong. The way you and the cop go at it, you could've gotten pregnant any old time."

A sweet smile of remembrance crossed Steph's face. She knew exactly when she had gotten pregnant and it was a glorious memory. "They didn't get my due date wrong either, Lula," Steph said snippily. Then she frowned, considering what Lula had said. Lula might be wrong about the twin and the due date thing, but a girl could always count on her girlfriends to be honest about certain things.

"I'm not THAT big...am I?" Steph asked desperately.

Lula gave an indelicate snort as she looked away. Connie started humming a quiet tune. "Well, AM I?" Steph shouted.

"A little big," Connie and Lula both mumbled at the same time.

Steph huffed, turned on her heel, and stormed out of the office. It occurred to her as she was leaving that she hadn't even had a chance to tell them about choosing the baby's name. It didn't matter to her. She didn't need to stand around getting insulted. If she stayed there much longer she'd be in tears in no time. Another side effect of the pregnancy--uncontrollable crying. No, she'd just go back to RangeMan where she could hide in her little cubicle. And she'd get there via The Tasty Pastry, where she'd pick up some nice, comforting cannoli.

"Whew, I didn't think she'd ever leave," Connie said. "That was brilliant coming up with that crack about twins."

"Wasn't nothing but the truth. Anyway, you don't think she suspected we're throwing her big ass a shower, do you?"

"Nah! Not at all," Connie replied. "Believe me--between family business and working for Vinnie, I'm more than used to covert operations. We've got nothing to worry about." Connie hesitated for a moment. "Well, except for getting Officer Hottie's cooperation but I doubt that's going to be a problem. That guy's been so loopy about this kid, he wouldn't say 'no' to anything. It's perfect."


	8. Chapter 8

**Ch.** **8**

Joe had been a little surprised to receive a call from Mary Lou at the station that morning, but he'd been even more surprised when she asked him to meet her at the bonds office. Joe couldn't imagine what business Mary Lou would have there. He'd told her he'd meet her at lunchtime and now here he was, wondering what he was getting himself in to. When he walked in, he saw Mary Lou sitting at Connie's desk with Connie and Lula and all three were wearing the smiles of people who want something from someone that they're not sure the person's going to give.

"Connie, Lula," Joe said with a nod of his head in their direction before turning his full attention to Mary Lou. "Hey Mary Lou, what's up?"

"Not much. Lennie and the kids are well. You and Steph should come for dinner one night this week."

"Alright, I'll talk to Steph about it." Joe stood there, arms crossed over his chest, smiling devilishly, waiting for the axe to fall.

"So," Mary Lou continued, "How are _you_ doing, daddy-to-be? You getting to the point where you're looking to be rid of the ole ball and chain for a few hours?"

Joe's eyebrows knitted. "But you just invited both Steph _and_ me to dinner. Wait! Is this a trick? Is Steph here? Because I love being with Steph and helping her with the pregnancy," Joe said, elevating his voice slightly so Steph could hear him.

Behind Mary Lou, Connie and Lula sniggered. Mary Lou was not being her smoothest, she thought. It unnerved her that she could still get tongue tied around Joe even though he and Steph had been together so long now. Old habits died hard, she guessed. This was, after all, Joe Morelli, baddest bad boy in High School and every girls crush. Well, now he was Steph's husband and she needed a favor from him, so it was best for her to get on with asking for it.

"Hey Joe, Steph isn't here."

"Oh," Joe said, sounding even more perplexed than he had a minute ago. Well, maybe Steph wasn't here but something was going on and Joe wasn't going to have the ladies currently huddled around each other thinking he'd said what he did because he'd thought she was. "Well, doesn't matter, I meant what I said. I love being with Steph and spending all the time with her I can anticipating the baby's arrival."

"That's super, Joe. Great. Steph's lucky to have you. I always told her 'Steph, you're one lucky girl to have caught that Joe Morelli's eye.'"

Right. Now Joe was thoroughly convinced he was the target of a shakedown. Connie and Lula most likely knew what Mary Lou wanted, but judging from the retching sounds they were making, the method was all Mary Lou's.

"You're laying it on kinda thick, Mary Lou," Joe said, shaking his head and chuckling. "Why don't you just tell me what it is you want?"

Mary Lou gave Joe a sideways glance. This was starting to get fun. "Were you always this cynical, or have your years as a cop done that to you?"

"Mary Lou," Joe said, and the way Joe drew out the Lou, long and low, Mary Lou knew that it was time to fess up.

"Alright, Alright! Jeez Louise! Here's the deal. Me, Connie, Lula, and Val are throwing a baby shower for Steph."

Joe knew Steph hated it when he made blanket statements about women, but honestly, talking to women could be the most damned mystifying experience sometimes. And that wasn't sexist, Joe declared to himself, just the god's honest truth. All this run around simply to tell him they wanted to throw a shower for Steph.

"So? That sounds like a lot of fun for Steph, but I don't get all the ass kissing. I've had the feeling since I walked in here that you want something from me," Joe said, unable to hide the suspicion in his tone.

Mary Lou didn't voice that kissing his ass—either figuratively or literally-- held a lot of appeal. She was married, and hell, Joe was married to her best friend. But the thought did skip across her mind. Married wasn't dead.

"Well, your feeling was right. Steph always says you're an ace detective." Joe gave Mary Lou a let's-get-on-with-it glare. "Right," Mary Lou said, reading the glare loud and clear. No more putting it off. It's not like Joe was going to say no, anyway. Connie had been right when she'd said Joe would do anything for Steph. "First of all, the shower is a surprise for Steph. Secondly, we figured your house would be the easiest place to surprise her so we need you to not only get Steph out of the house temporarily while we get set up, but then to make yourself scarce for several hours after you've brought her back."

The more Joe heard, the more he thought it sounded like a lot of fun for Steph and just what she needed to bolster her spirits. He didn't mind doing anything that was asked of him for Steph, but after being put through the song and dance he'd just endured, it was payback time for the trio of trouble. Mary Lou'd beat around the bush so long, it seemed obvious to Joe she'd thought there'd been a good chance he'd say no to what they wanted him to do. For that, they all deserved a little bit of a hard time.

Joe formed his mouth into a scowl and narrowed his eyes at Mary Lou. "So, I'm expected to leave my own house? You're actually attempting to kick me out of my own house?" Joe asked increduously.

Mary Lou was frozen in Joe's glare, so Lula stepped up. "Uh-huh. On account of these shower things are girls only. You get Steph out of the house and bring her back, but then you got's to split."

Joe flicked his eyes to Lula, keeping his features grim and his voice level. "And just when is this taking place?"

"Sunday," Connie answered, since Lula had joined Mary Lou in becoming speech deprived when confronted with Joe's menacing stare.

_Two down, one to go_, Joe thought to himself with amusement. "Sunday?! And I'm just now hearing about it? No wonder you were afraid to ask me about it today. It's already Tuesday. That's only 4 days away!"

Four days seemed like a decent amount of time to Connie, but she wasn't going to argue with Officer Hottie. In all honesty, she thought he'd have been more cooperative. The glare/scowl combination was starting to get to her too, although she prided herself on being able to handle tough guys. Still, probably better just to explain things and try to calm him down. "We didn't want to tell you too early and risk you blowing the surprise with Steph."

Joe's eyes narrowed even more until they were just tiny slits. "I'm a cop. Cop's don't blow surprises. Our jobs are based on our ability to _do_ surprises. Not long ago, I headed up ..."

"Ok, Ok, I got it," Connie yelped. She was actually cracking under the pressure of the glare and couldn't take it any more. "You're good at surprises. Sorry we underestimated you. We're all sorry, right girls?" Connie asked, glancing around for a little help from the mute squad.

"Yeah, we're sorry Joe. If it's really too much of an inconvenience…" Mary Lou started to say while she was quickly scrambling in her mind for an alternative plan. This hadn't gone at all as they'd expected.

Joe could see the wheels turning in Mary Lou's mind while the other two sat shell shocked and he couldn't hold it in anymore. He threw his head back and burst out laughing.

"It's really not a problem, Mary Lou. I'm just messing with you," Joe said, his eyes now lit with mirth. "You just seemed so nervous to ask when I first got here I couldn't resist. You didn't really think I'd say no, did you?"

"No, not really. It's just…" There was no way to explain that she could still get tongue tied with him in a one-on-one conversation. "Never mind! I'm just glad it's all worked out now. Getting your help was the last step. Me and Val have the food covered and Lula and Connie were in charge of the decorations. All you need to do is let us into the house on Sunday without Steph knowing, and we'll get everything set up before you get back with her."

"It's not a problem, Ladies, I've got it covered."

Joe hugged Mary Lou goodbye then waved to Connie and Lula. "So, I'll see you all Sunday then," Joe called out over his shoulder as he walked to the door.

"Sounds good," Mary Lou called back.

Joe stopped and turned around, wearing a smile that oozed charm. "Yeah, and I'll also talk to Steph about that dinner you offered. That sounded good." Then he turned and left the bonds office, while Mary Lou shook her head and Connie and Lula fanned themselves.

When Sunday morning arrived, Joe wanted Steph to be in the best possible mood so she'd be sure to enjoy herself at the shower. He'd felt her getting up several times in the night to go to the bathroom, so he knew she hadn't gotten the best nights sleep. She was sleeping now, though, so Joe slipped out of the bed as quietly as he could to get some coffee started. He brewed his coffee and made Steph a cup of decaf. As he drank his coffee, he gave the house a cursory inspection. Since the day Joe had spoken with Mary Lou, he'd come home from the station every night and straightened the house, readying it for the party. As he looked around the house now, it appeared to be in perfect shape, so Joe could afford to relax with Steph this morning. And since all the cleaning had also resulted in earning lots of points with Steph, he was feeling particularly lucky.

Eventually, Joe heard Steph walking around upstairs. He wanted to intercept her before she came down looking for him. He grabbed her mug of coffee and bolted upstairs.

"Hey," Steph said, with a sleepy smile when she saw him.

"Hey yourself. How you feeling this morning, Cupcake?"

"Good. How 'bout you?"

"I'm excellent. I brought you some coffee," Joe said as he held the mug out to Steph.

Steph took the mug and drank a sip of the coffee. "Thanks. It tastes good. But I don't mind saying that I long for the time when I can have caffeine again to help me jump start my day."

"I have a great way to jump start your day," Joe said with an exaggerated eyebrow waggle.

Steph laughed as she put her mug of coffee down and climbed back into bed, then looked at Joe. "What are you waiting for?"

Laughing, Joe tumbled into the bed with Steph, ready to jump start the hell out of her day and keep her spirits up for the party.

"So, what do you think about going for ice cream after breakfast," Joe suggested as they lay snuggling afterward.

Steph raised her eyebrows. "A little decadent, but I certainly don't have anything against _that_," Steph said laughing. "The baby and I never pass up a chance for sugar."

"Good, perfect, excellent!" Joe enthused. "Well, I guess we'd better get some breakfast then"

Steph eyed Joe suspiciously. He seemed awfully happy about her agreement to go get _ice cream _for goodness sakes. Immediately after thinking it, Steph dismissed the notion. Certainly after the multiple orgasms Joe had given her, he'd earned a free pass from her grouchiness and second guessing for the morning. So, she simply smiled at Joe and replied, "Alright, let's go get breakfast then."

After they'd eaten breakfast and gotten ready, Joe finally convincing Steph to wear something really nice despite the fact that they were "just going for ice cream" it was getting close to the time for Joe to get Steph out of the house. He knew Mary Lou and the others would be at the house any minute.

"Ready to go, Steph?" Joe yelled upstairs.

Steph hobbled down the stairs, her belly seemingly growing larger by the day as she entered her 33rd week. "I'm ready, I'm ready. But I still don't know why I had to get all gussied up for ice cream."

"I know, Sweetheart. We've had this conversation three times already. I just thought it'd make you feel good, OK?" Joe wrapped his arm around Steph's waist and helped her walk to the front door. When they got to the door he stopped short and snapped his fingers. "I forgot my pager. Why don't you go out to the truck and wait for me. I'll be out in a sec."

Once again, Steph eyed Joe with suspicion, but he just flashed her his most sincere grin and she folded. The guy gave her great sex and ice cream. If he wanted her to wait for him in his truck for a minute, she figured she could do that much. What was there to be suspicious to be about anyway?

As soon as Joe was sure Steph was in the truck, he ran to the back door and opened it. Mary Lou, Val and Lula stood there waiting. Joe ushered them in quickly. "Steph thinks I'm grabbing my pager. I can probably buy you a few extra minutes right now before she gets tired of waiting and comes back in to yell at me to hurry up."

Val planted a kiss on Joe's cheek. "Thanks Joe. You're a gem to risk incurring Steph's wrath right now. I love my sister but she's been damn bitchy lately."

"Eh, it's nothing I can't handle," Joe said, eschewing Val's statement.

Mary Lou snickered. Steph had truly met her match. "So, how long after you leave do you think you can keep her away?" she asked Joe.

"20 minutes probably. Maybe a little more, but not by much. I told her I'd take her for some ice cream. I'll start driving to the store, pretend I left my wallet at the house and tell her we have to go back for it."

"That's good. That should be enough time. Everything is made, we just need to get it in the house and set up. Connie should be here any minute with the decorations and with the four of us working together, there shouldn't be a problem getting everything done before you're back."

Mary Lou was actually hoping Joe would just leave now before Connie arrived with the decorations. She really didn't want him seeing what they had planned for Steph. Her wish came true as Joe turned to leave, at the same time three angry blasts of the truck horn rented the air.

"Mm-hmm. Just like Val said," Lula remarked, "bitchy as a junkyard dog."

"Come on you guys," Joe admonished, "she's just uncomfortable. It's to be expected."

"I'll show her uncomfortable when I shove my foot up her ass," Lula exclaimed.

Joe gave Lula his mini stare down and she promptly started going about setting up. Nobody messes with papa bear when he's defending mama bear.

Satisfied that everything was under control, and not wanting to keep Steph waiting any longer, Joe left the house in the ladies' capable hands.

On the way back to the house after the aborted attempt to get ice cream, Joe listened to Steph's litany of protests about his uncharacteristically slow driving, his dim-wittedness for forgetting first his pager and then his wallet, and her frustration about not having her ice cream yet. Steph had lifted the ban on her hormonal tirades. Apparently, the effects of great orgasms do have time limits and Steph had decided she'd reached hers. Joe remained quiet through the drive, wondering how he was going to get Steph into the house without him in her current mood. So far, his plans weren't going exactly as he'd thought they would. Weighing the hormonal factor was a tricky business and often unpredictable. A thought occurred to him just as they pulled up to the house.

Turning to Steph, Joe's eyes twinkled with amusement. "Would you mind getting my wallet, Cupcake?" Joe asked sweetly. I believe it's on the kitchen counter."

Steph stared at Joe, her mouth agape. "You want _me_ to get it? In case you haven't noticed, I'm not getting around too well these days."

"Aw you'll be fine. It's just a short hop, skip and jump to the door. The wallet's not much further past that." The smile he gave her could've melted butter while Steph's return glare could have formed a glacier as she sat in the truck not moving. She wasn't hopping, skipping, or jumping these days. And _she_ wasn't the one who forgot everything today. And WHY was Joe being so unaccomodating when usually he put hand over fist to help her out? If she just waited it out, Joe would cave and get his own damn wallet.

"Sweetie, can you hurry? I can already taste the ice cream."

Steph let out a vicious snarl before wrenching the door open and sliding out of the truck. She followed that up with a nice slam of the truck door for good measure. Joe watched through the windshield as Steph waddled up the walk, her hands resting on her back for support. Damn, but she really was the cutest thing he'd ever seen. He wished he could see her face when she walked into the house, but he was persona non grata. The ladies had made that perfectly clear. Then Joe remembered with relief that Mary Lou had said she'd videotape it. Joe could tell Steph was muttering to herself by the way her body shook as she leaned over the lock. And she was refusing to look back at him, which was just as well because then she'd see him laughing his ass off and she'd know something was up. He thought he'd played his part very well up until now, but he just couldn't hold it in anymore. Once Steph was finally in the house, he threw the truck in reverse and left to meet Mooch.

Steph had been fiddling with her keys at the front door, grumbling to herself the entire time. The pregnancy was making her clumsy and this was not going well. When she finally got the door open and stepped into the house, a roomful of people shouted "surprise" at her. Steph was flabbergasted. Looking around at the house, she was shocked into speechlessness and all she could do was stare with her mouth wide open.


	9. Chapter 8a

**Thanks for the names, Cupcakes!**

**Ch.** **8 (continued)**

When Steph finally got the door open and stepped into the house, a roomful of people shouted "surprise" at her. As if that wasn't shocking enough, as Steph took a quick perusal of the room it seemed that a penis party-favor factory had exploded in her living room. _No, not a factory,_ Steph silently amended, _the Pleasure Treasures._ Someone had bought out the entire stock of Pleasure Treasures and brought it to her living room. Never in her life had she seen so many penis themed items in one room. Steph was flabbergasted. Shocked into speechlessness, Steph had no alternative but to stare at her surroundings with her mouth wide open and wonder why her house was filled with penises. The room had become silent and nobody was offering any answers.

"Prob'ly been a while since you've seen a penis, huh?" Lula said, breaking the silence. "Understandable how you can be so stunned and everything."

Steph snapped to attention at the barb. "Hey! I may not be able to see my own feet anymore, but I still see plenty of penis!"

Steph winced as soon as the words came out of her mouth. That was WAY more information than she wanted to share. Especially when she noticed Grandma Mazur was present. Of course, Steph needn't worry about Grandma Mazur's sensibilities, which she realized as soon as Grandma Mazur yelled out, "Good for you, Steph. I always knew you were a chip off the old block!"

Steph scrunched up her mouth. At this point, Steph figured Grandma Mazur was entertaining delusions of grandeur on the penis front, but her announcement was still conjuring up a mental image Steph didn't want to have. To distract her errant imaginings, she turned her attention to Lula.

"What in heaven's name is going on here, Lula?"

"What do you mean?" Lula demanded, her hand on her hip. "This here's your baby shower."

Steph almost lost the remainder of her composure. This penis display was her _shower._ "Uh, I may be new to this whole baby thing, but isn't a baby shower supposed to have baby things around? Ya know, little tiny…whatevers. Maybe some balloons?"

"Huh!" Lula snorted indignantly. "We got balloons."

Steph glanced around and sure enough, hovering in the corners of the room were foot long balloons, complete with two attached circular balloons at the base that would make a porn star blush.

Steph raised her eyebrows. "Did they run out of _plain_ pink?" Steph deadpanned.

"Now, you need to improve your attitude. This here took some planning. Me, Mary Lou, Val and Connie worked real damn hard."

Steph flinched inwardly as she realized Lula was right. Putting aside her shock from the decorations, Steph was touched that her friends had gone to the trouble to make her a shower. At quick glance, she had seen Joe's sisters Mary and Cathy, and Mooch's wife, Shirley. There were several of her old friends from school here, including Carol Nadich, Sue Ann Grebeck and Loretta Beeber. Joe had obviously had some part in this, hence the forgetting of his pager and then his wallet and sending her into the house to get it. And especially his insistence that she dress up today. Joe knew Steph would have hated meeting a roomful of her friends and family looking nothing but her best. Everyone had worked hard and gone to great lengths to do their part and to be here with her today. And she was certainly surprised. Sure, this was by no means a conventional shower, but with Lula in on the planning that should be expected. Besides, Steph wasn't a conventional person, so she figured she'd go with it.

Steph's face broke into a grin. "I'm sorry you guys," Steph said, turning to address the other hostesses as well. "It's these damn hormones. Really. Thank you all for doing this and for being here. I genuinely am very grateful." Steph gave Lula a hug, then one by one the other accomplices came and hugged her in turn. After that, Steph began mingling and greeting her other guests.

The food was arranged in the kitchen, buffet style. Tables and chairs were arranged around the rooms for the guests to sit at. A punch bowl sat on the kitchen counter opposite the food and contained Mary Lou's famous Fruity Punch. Floating in the punch were ice cubes depicting people in various sexual positions.

After a while, the guests began making their way into the kitchen to get food. Steph waited until all of them had served themselves before going into the kitchen herself. As Stephanie began to ladle herself a glass of the punch, chuckling at the obscene ice cubes, Mary Lou came up behind her and told her that they had set aside a special glass for her. Having seen some of the other "special" decorations at the party, Steph was almost afraid to look. And her fears weren't unfounded. The ladies had made Steph a large penis ice cube, perfectly…and realistically…formed in a rubber mold. It had been tinted with red food coloring so that not only did each detail stand out, but it had an accurate "flesh tone" quality as well. Mary Lou graciously added punch to the glass containing the ice cube and handed it to Steph.

Steph was determined to act civilly after her less than gracious entrance, so she didn't say a word as she took the glass with the giant penis sticking up and attempted to take a gulp of the punch, continuously meeting up with nothing more than an icy penis against her nose. Mary Lou allowed herself the indulgency of a few belly laughs at Steph's expense before handing her a straw for the drink. Steph plastered the best grateful smile she could come up with onto her face and set Mary Lou in her sights.

"Did you _have_ to let the penis parade take place?" Steph inquired with a slight trace of exasperation in her voice.

Mary Lou shrugged. "Sorry. Val and I got food, Lula got decorations."

"Uh-huh," Steph said, unsmiling , as she artfully dodged another nose full of icy penis. The straw was barely working as a defense against the phallic ice. "I guess I should be grateful you got food since I love your cooking, but what about Connie? What was her role? Couldn't she have played Jiminy Cricket to Lula's finer intentions?"

"According to Connie, she was laughing too hard picturing your reaction to say much of anything."

Steph closed her eyes and counted to ten. "I'll just bet," she grouched.

Mary Lou laughed. "I guess Lula was going for more of a celebration of what caused your pregnancy, rather than the pregnancy itself. I say you just relax and enjoy the party."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Connie and Lula love hounding me about my sex life." Steph sighed. "I guess it is somewhat amusing in a kinky sorta way."

"Yeah, it is. I'm enjoying myself immensely." Steph frowned at Mary Lou's continued hilarity over the state of affairs so Mary Lou schooled her features and decided a change of subject was in order. "Anyway, aside from the little surprise we've given you, how are you feeling?"

Steph heaved a deep breath. "Like none of my internal organs are where they're supposed to be, or functioning the way they're supposed to be. Tired and cranky--as I'm sure you can attest to," Steph said with a tiny smirk, "—sore. But yet, so amazed that I have this little person inside of me that's part of Joe and part of me blended together, and who I already love so much it overwhelms me sometimes."

Mary Lou wrapped her arms around Steph. "Welcome to motherhood, Steph. A true adventure with all its high's and low's."

"Thanks," Steph sniffed as she brushed tears from her eyes. Smiling at Mary Lou, Steph worked to compose herself. "Hey! Speaking of mother's, I'm kinda surprised mine isn't here. I'm relieved in light of the decorating scheme, just surprised."

Mary Lou averted her eyes. "Uh…she…uh," Mary Lou sputtered. Steph's mom had told Mary Lou that she and Angie Morelli were planning on throwing Steph and Joe a family party, thus giving her the green light to do whatever she wanted to do with this one. But no way did Mary Lou want to be the one to break it to Steph that she'd be attending a Morelli party. It always made Steph edgy. Joe was great at handling Steph, she figured he could tell her.

Steph and Mary Lou had been friends forever and read each other like books. Steph knew Mary Lou was hiding something. "Spill it, Mary Lou," Steph ordered.

"Nothing! It's nothing. It's like you said, we just knew the plans would be more than the mothers could take and your mom understood. She wants you to have a good time. Of course, there was no talking Grandma Mazur out of attending a party. She's a spirited one!"

Mary Lou was babbling, so Steph knew there was more to it, but she dropped it. She had a houseful of guests to chat with, a baby to celebrate. Whatever Mary Lou was hiding could wait. She and Mary Lou grabbed some food and left the kitchen to join the others. And so the next hour passed pleasantly as guests ate and chatted and Steph mingled among all of them accepting advice, and congratulations, and more advice, with the occasional birthing story thrown in for good measure.

When everyone had finished eating and the hostesses had removed all the dishes to the kitchen, Lula announced that it was time to play some games. Steph groaned aloud and was emphatically ignored by Lula. Lula explained that everyone would be given some dry beans and a plastic cup. Everyone was then to close their eyes and Lula would ask some sexual questions. For each question that applied to someone, they would drop a bean in the cup. At the end of all the questions, whoever had the most beans in their cup was the winner.

When Steph leaned over and mentioned to Lula that this didn't seem like the type of game that was supposed to be played at a Baby shower, Lula just harrumphed for what seemed like the hundredth time that day and told Steph that everyone already knew the pertinent facts of the pregnancy, like when she was due, what she was having and what name they'd chosen, so she thought it'd be fun to do something that would shed light on the events leading up to the pregnancy.

"My sex life is _not_ a conversational gambit," Steph hissed. She felt it should be her mantra around Lula.

Lula nodded her head. "I hear ya. And you'll be able to keep your anonymity on account of other people will be answering too. Just that at the end of the game when we count up them beans, the real fun's gonna be seeing just how freaky you and Officer Hottie are and figuring on which of those freaky moves put that bun in your oven."

Steph threw up her hands in surrender. She had promised herself she'd be a good sport no matter what her "friends" threw at her today. This was a party, so she figured there had to be cake around somewhere. She'd just hurry up through this latest round of embarrass-the-hell-out-of-Stephanie and she'd be rewarded with cake. With that thought, she took a cup and some beans from Lula and turned back on her chair. Lula asked questions relating to any and all sexual positions and acts, as well as when's and where's. Steph admitted to herself it was rather funny to hear beans dropping in the cups but not knowing who was answering the question. With the exception, that is, of when Grandma Mazur would present verbal confirmation of a question with comments like "Yeppers," and "OOH Boy, that's a fun one" which were then followed by a high five slap Steph assumed was coming from Lula. Steph would laugh to herself and rub her stomach for a moment, hoping that her daughter got even a small portion of Grandma Mazur's spirit.

Lula had removed herself from the competition as she had done some "freaky ass shit" in her former life as a ho, so as it turned out the game ended in a tie between Steph and Connie. They both endured some good natured ribbing until Mary Lou eventually announced there was one more game for Stephanie to play as the guest of honor. Mary Lou had brought one of her kids' baby doll's from home, and Steph was going to have to put a diaper on the doll while wearing thick winter gloves. Mary Lou said it would prepare Steph for the challenges of motherhood. Steph wasn't too confident with the whole diaper changing thing in the first place, so adding gloves to the mix seemed an unfair challenge. She certainly didn't think she needed anything additional to make her feel any more inept at motherhood than she already did. Amid raucous laughter she failed miserably in getting the diaper on the damn doll and sat back down in her chair defeated. On the bright side, her guests had been vastly entertained.

Blessedly, the time had come to serve the cake. Steph was put in the kitchen temporarily while Val and Connie ran upstairs to get the cake from where they'd hidden it from Steph. Someone could've knocked Steph over with a feather when she saw that the cake was normal. Not a penis in sight. Instead, it was beautifully decorated with a baby carriage in one corner and a tiny pink dress in the opposite corner, with yellow roses around the perimeter. Printed on the cake were the words 'Congratulations, Stephanie, on the new addition to your family.'

Tears involuntarily sprang to Steph's eyes as she looked around at all the people assembled to share in this special occasion with her. She really wished she could control these emotional reactions. Just part of the wonders of what this day was about though. Steph took a deep breath attempting to bring herself under control, but it was no use. All in all she had had a wonderful afternoon and she was having a hard time overcoming the emotional overload.

"Thanks, guys," Steph managed to choke out finally. It was the best she could do. Mary Lou nodded in understanding and the rest of the crowd burst into applause. Steph laughed and stepped away from the table as Mary Lou and Val came to slice the cake up for everyone.

Grandma Mazur walked up to Steph and, taking Steph's hand in hers, patted it gently. "You're a good girl, Stephanie, and you'll make a great mama. Don't think any different. You're special and that baby of yours will be too. Remember, you're a..."

"I know. I'm a chip off the old block. And proud of it, too. I love you, Grandma." Steph covered Grandma Mazur's hand with her free one. "But listen, if I don't get myself pulled together I'm going to cry in my cake and ruin the icing and that'd just be a damn shame," Steph said with a watery smile, nodding her head for emphasis. "What do ya say we can the mushy stuff for now and get ourselves some cake like the true Plum women we are."

"Right on, Girlie. Let's get a move on."

After everyone had finished indulging in the cake, it was finally time for Steph to open her gifts. Steph was thrilled to see what she and Joe were getting, since they needed just about everything. They had gone clothes shopping right after they'd found out they were having a girl, but hadn't bought anything else since then. The one time they'd tried to do some shopping, they'd found the new array of baby gadgets daunting. Bathtubs, strollers, baby monitors, car seats, all proclaiming different "must have" features. Not to mention the various items designed to make your baby the smartest baby, the happiest baby, the most content baby. Steph thought it was a wonder any child made it to toddlerhood the way these products marketed the pratfalls of infancy. Steph and Joe felt like they'd failed as parents before they even started, so they'd left the store without buying anything. Of course, they had planned on going back eventually, but this was even better. Now the decisions had been placed in other people's hands and Steph and Joe could blame them when their child became an unhappy delinquent.

In actuality, though, Steph was delighted with each and every gift she opened. Among the gifts were bibs, bath, feeding and sleep accessories, diapers, a diaper bag, toys, and a vast collection of the sweetest little outfits and sleepers. Steph wondered if she could get out of doing laundry forever, there were so many clothes. Mary Lou gave Steph a combination car seat and stroller. Connie gave her a bassinet for Carrissa to sleep in for the first several months. Val gave her a changing table. Steph was touched by the tremendous generosity of everyone. But Steph was most overwhelmed when she opened a card from Grandma Mazur and read that she and Steph's parents were giving Joe and Steph a crib and that Steph's dad would be delivering it personally so he could help Joe put it together. Steph warmed at the thought of that male bonding session.

Meanwhile, Joe had returned to the house after his plans with Mooch came to an end. Judging from the number of cars parked around the house, he knew the shower was still going on. He should leave, Joe thought. Find something to do to kill a little more time. But the lure of seeing what was going on inside without anyone knowing he was there was too strong and he couldn't think of anything more fun to do at the moment. Through the back door, Joe could hear the clamor of female voices so he quietly eased the door open and stepped inside. After making his way through the kitchen, Joe peered into the living room and watched Steph as she cheerfully opened present after present. She was in high spirits and her smile was infectious, as Joe quickly found himself smiling right along with her. After Steph had opened Grandma Mazur's card, there was only one gift left, another card, and Joe was curious as to its contents.

Steph knew the card was from Lula and she had a good guess what she'd find inside. Sure enough, she opened the card to find a gift certificate to Pleasure Treasures. When Joe heard what the gift was, images of Steph in a sex shop picking out edible undies and flavored massage oils immediately pummeled his brain. Unfortunately, Lula's suggestion that followed the opening of the gift chased those images away.

"I figured you could pick yourself out something real nice. I'm thinking you might have to start using the self-serve station on account of the fact that your disposition has gotten a little ugly lately and your hubby might be too afraid of you now to give you what you need."

A vibrator? Lula was suggesting Steph get a vibrator? Joe wasn't about to let anyone think Steph needed help in _that_ department. It was a matter of pride. Joe forgot he wasn't supposed to be in the house and charged into the living room.

"My wife doesn't scare me," Joe said, his voice tight. "I can certainly hold my own with her, and I can most _definitely_ satisfy her. And since being with her is the highlight of an otherwise usually crappy day, I positively do NOT need some piece of plastic in my bed replacing me and taking away all my fun."

Unfortunately, Lula overlooked the signs of Joe's irritation and addressed his words instead of his demeanor. "Uh-uh. Plastic is outdated. These fine new models are made of genu-wyne latex. Looks and feels as good as the real thing."

Steph tried hard to bite back her hysterical laughter at the steam emanating from Joe on a hot wave of male indignation. But she just couldn't. It bubbled up from deep in her gut like a spring, spilling out until tears were rolling from her eyes. At least they were happy tears this time. Lula had an opposite reaction. She finally caught on to Joe's disposition and rarely had the urge to laugh when his temper was piqued. In fact, she tried to avoid his wrath when at all possible so Lula promptly plucked the certificate from Steph's hand.

"Looks like I might have been wrong and could use this more than you can. I'll just owe you something, OK girlfriend?"

"Sure, Lula. No problem." Steph shook her head and placed her hand on Joe, where he stood stoney faced, his arms crossed. "Come on, stud. You've got some 'splainin to do."

Steph turned back to the guests, thanked them for the gifts and apologized for the interruption. The snickers coming from the assembly suggested to Steph that they hadn't minded one bit. A little display of hot, Italian temper was common in these parts and often a source of amusement. Bringing her attention back to Joe, Steph gently pushed him back into the kitchen.

"What are you doing here?" Steph asked sweetly. "I'm assuming you knew what was going on."

"Of course I knew. But I was finished with Mooch so I took a chance the party was over. When I saw it wasn't, I couldn't resist a peek. Good thing, too, or right about now you might be thinking you didn't need me." His voice was still tight, but Steph could see the twinkle in his eye that said he was teasing her.

Steph gave Joe a dumbfounded stare. "I would never think that, Joe. The party should be wrapping up soon now, and maybe when it has I can show you how much I appreciate you. Like you helping the girls arrange this surprise for me today." Steph slowly walked toward Joe until they were toe to toe. "That was very sweet," Steph added in a sultry voice before trailing a line of kisses along Joe's jaw.

Joe had some plans of his own for after the shower ended, and now that he'd seen the decorations and some of what was going on at this shower, he'd be damned if he was going to leave. It was all way too amusing to have this look into the world of all-female gatherings. Joe smiled down at Steph.

"That sounds like a plan. In the meantime, though, I think I'll stick around."

Amused, Steph patted Joe's chest. "Suit yourself. I need to mingle." She gave a little finger wave as she toddled back into the living room.

Joe decided to grab some punch and settle in for the duration. He laughed when he saw the illicit ice cubes and looked forward to Steph telling him all about what had happened that afternoon—after he surprised her with what he'd been doing that is. In fact, Joe was anxious to get on with it so he left the kitchen to find Steph in hopes of ascertaining approximately how much longer the party would last. As he wandered around he got quite an eyeful. Laughing to himself, he spotted Steph talking to her cousin, Shirley the Whiner. Joe waited for Shirley to walk away before joining Steph. As he came up behind her, he noticed the drink in her hand and a slow smile spread across his face.

"Interesting ice cube," Joe commented wryly, tilting his head to the side and perusing every detail. "But I'm guessing I don't have to worry too much about you being disappointed."

Steph rolled her eyes. "As if you would _ever_ worry about that."

Joe flashed Steph his sexiest grin in response to her statement. Steph knew Joe was well aware that he didn't have anything to worry about in the size department. Steph loved that arrogance, though. It was part of what made him so sexy. But a lot of her fun came from teasing the hell out of him and she couldn't pass up the opportunity now.

"Still, it'd be prudent to note that it has melted quite a bit. It used to be a LOT bigger. Longer…and thicker. Rather impressive."

Joe continued to grin. One look at that grin and Steph knew he wasn't buying any of it. Not only that, his hot stare was going to have the rest of the phallic ice cube melting into nothingness in the next two seconds. She walked away from Joe quickly before she did something completely stupid like rip off all his clothes in front of everybody. Behind her, she could hear the melodic sounds of Joe's knowing laughter.

Not long after, the party started breaking up. Steph stayed busy saying goodbye to everyone, while Joe hung back and watched Steph with tenderness in his eyes, enjoying the sight of her so happy. Her goodbyes to Mary Lou, Val, Connie and Lula came last and took the longest. As Steph thanked each one in turn, Joe carried all the dishes Mary Lou and Val had brought out to their cars. When everyone had driven off, Joe asked Steph to wait for him in the house while he retrieved something from his truck.

"What are you getting?" Steph asked, curious.

"You didn't think I'd show up at a shower without a gift did you? I do believe that's tacky," Joe said with a teasing glint in his eye.

Steph laughed and wondered what Joe had up his sleeve this time. Anxious to see, she let him know that she'd wait for him in the living room. A minute later, Joe returned with a large bag. In succession, he presented Steph with a beautiful music box that played lullabies, a soft pink blanket to wrap Carrissa in at the hospital, and a large stuffed teddy bear for her room. Whenever Steph thought Joe couldn't get any more wonderful, he proved her wrong. Not only were the items he'd chosen thoughtful and beautiful, Steph couldn't believe two guys with a whole afternoon to do with as they pleased would choose to go shopping.

"You and Mooch had an entire afternoon off together and you went baby shopping?" Steph's voice broke and tears pricked the backs of her eyes yet again. Uncontrollable, but warranted.

Joe attempted to look sheepish, when in actuality Steph's reaction charmed him. Obviously, Steph had expected him to undertake more manly pursuits. "If it makes you feel better, Cupcake, we had a couple beers with lunch afterward."

Steph shook her head. "You're the most wonderful husband and father in the world and I love you." And then the tears started falling in earnest. Whereas the sight of Steph in tears used to distress Joe, he had become quite adept at handling them over the course of the pregnancy.

Joe simply pulled Steph into his arms and rested his cheek on the top of her head. "I love you too, Cupcake."

When Steph had cried herself out, she pulled out of Joe's embrace and looked up at him. She drank in the sight of his handsome face. Her eyes roamed down over his lean, muscled frame invoking images of both strength and gentleness. She had been the recipient of both over the time she had known Joe, and now their baby would be as well. Life with Joe couldn't be better and, more than ever, she couldn't wait for Carrissa's birth. She had a sudden urge to start some of the preparations right then.

Steph took a final swipe at the tears in her eyes and cleared her throat. Looking around the room at all they'd gotten for the baby today, Steph asked, "What do you say? Do you think you can get some of these things upstairs and stored in Carrissa's room?"

"Oh, I think I can handle that. Then after I'm done, I'd like to invite you to another shower."

Steph raised an eyebrow. "Haven't you crashed enough showers for one day? Have you already forgotten they're women only?"

Joe smiled conspiratorially. Leaning close to Steph, he whispered, "I have a special in with the mother-to-be. I'm guessing she won't mind very much if I crash her shower."

"Are you sure, Joe? All joking aside, I mean look at me." Steph gestured to her protruding middle. "It's going to be a damn tight fit."

"That sounds perfect to me. We probably won't be able to help rubbing up against each other." Joe's lips tipped up in his hungry grin. "How about we meet in 10?" Then Joe looked around at the mound of packages bestowed on them by friends and family. "On second thought, make it 20."


	10. Chapter 9

**Ch.** **9**

It was a lazy Saturday morning, and Joe was lying in bed behind Steph, her body nestled snugly against his. His hand was draped possessively around his daughter nestled safely inside her mother, and a larger sense of contentment he could not remember feeling. It had all rather snuck up on him, this domesticity. Joe couldn't have predicted even a few years ago this is where his life would've ended up. What he knew now, though, was that he had become a believer that things happened for a reason. Being accused of murder brought Steph back into his life. Inheriting Aunt Rose's house helped him feel more settled. Accepting Steph's place in that more settled life was a struggle, but well worth it. She was perfect for him and now she was carrying his daughter, which made his life perfect. He quite honestly believed that he was the luckiest man in the world and he would do anything he had to do to preserve that perfection.

Steph's breaths were even, but Joe doubted she was in a deep sleep. His little angel had been having herself a grand old time inside her mommy and Joe didn't think Steph could have slept through it. Wanting her to at least rest, however, he'd simply lain there and enjoyed the antics of their child. When Steph wriggled a little, he figured she was ready to get up.

"Not sleeping so good?" Joe asked sympathetically.

"How'd you guess?"

"Well let's see. Our little Angel has been doing some amazing high kicks in there for the last 45 minutes with some alarmingly strong legs. I figured it might interrupt your sleep."

"What time is it?"

"About 7:30."

"Mmmmm…she's an early riser like her Daddy."

"Sorry."

"S'OK. I learned to appreciate the side benefits of that with you, I'm sure in time I'll learn to appreciate it in her as well." Steph gifted Joe with a sleepy smile then.

Joe pressed a kiss to the side of Steph's neck, inhaling her sweet, sleepy scent. "Why don't you tell me what you want for breakfast and I'll bring it up to you."

Steph turned around and looped her arms around Joe's neck. "You did that last weekend, you don't have to do it again. I should go downstairs and get you something."

Joe feigned shock. "Do you think I'd allow the mother of my child to do that? No way," he continued, asnwering his own question. "You and the bambina stay here and I'll be back with something to eat before you know it."

Steph reached out and grabbed Joe's arm before he could get all the way up. "Wait! Before you go I wanted to talk to you about something."

Joe could see the alarm in Steph's eyes, though she was trying to conceal it. "What is it, Steph? Something wrong?"

"Not really. It's just that since Carrissa wasn't going to let me sleep, I've kinda been laying here worrying about the birth. I've been having more and more Braxton-Hicks contractions lately and I'm starting to think that if those are only a hint of what actual labor is going to feel like…" Steph stopped to gather her thoughts. She didn't want Joe thinking she was weak, but she did need some reassurance. "I don't know, Joe, I'm just not sure how I'm going to handle the real thing."

Joe caressed the side of Steph's face. "You are made of strong stuff. Don't even doubt that. You're going to do great and I feel privileged that I get to be there helping you in whatever way I can."

Steph nodded, then leaned forward and covered Joe's mouth with her own. The kiss started gentle, but quickly turned heated when Steph wrapped her arms around Joe's waist and pressed their bodies together. The love she felt for him overwhelmed her senses and she quickly became lost in the sensations of Joe's tongue gliding over hers and his hot skin under her hands. When Steph's stomach made a noise indicating her hunger, it was Joe who reached for his control and broke the kiss. Steph and the baby needed to eat. He ran downstairs before his control deserted him and several minutes later returned with a tray full of food. He placed it in front of Steph then took a seat opposite her and watched her appreciatively as she ate.

"What are your plans for today while I'm painting Carrissa's room? Have you decided where you're going yet?"

"Joe, do I really have to leave?" Steph asked, affecting a pout. "I promise I'll be good and stay out of the baby's room."

Joe shook his head in response. "I know you, Steph. If you're home, you won't be able to resist a peek, or two or three and the book says the paint fumes aren't good for Carrissa. We don't want to take any chances, do we?"

There were times Steph rued the day Joe got his hands on a pregnancy book. He obsessively followed every dictate to the letter. For the most part, Steph would have followed them anyway, but there were times it was damn inconvenient. Like today, when she was so excited about Carrissa's room being painted she wanted to be there to see it as soon as it was completed. And besides, getting around was becoming a pain in the ass and she really had no desire to leave the house. It was probably unnecessary anyway. It wasn't as if she were suggesting she go to work in a paint factory. Steph highly doubted that a few hours in a smelly house would severely damage their baby. But there was no way Joe could be convinced of that, she knew, his determination to do everything right completely absolute.

"Of course not," Steph sighed. "It's just that I really don't feel like getting dressed and going out. I can barely move anymore."

Joe nodded sympathetically. "Why don't you call Mary Lou and see if she can go shopping? Shopping always makes you feel better."

Steph shook her head. "You know we have that party with our families tonight. I just wouldn't be good company today knowing that's coming up later. Let's face it, I'm hardly great company anyway nowadays." Steph blew out a breath as Joe chuckled under his. "I guess I'll just go into work where I can hide in my cubicle and be alone. With my days getting shorter, there's plenty of work to do to get myself caught up and keep me out of your hair for several hours."

"I assure you my hair will miss you," Joe said, grinning. He knew Steph wasn't completely happy with him right now, but her leaving was not only healthier for her and the baby, his surprise depended on Steph being gone from the house for several hours. However, he was already anxiously anticipating her return.

As soon as breakfast was over, Steph quickly showered, dressed and left so Joe would have plenty of time to get the painting done. She breathed a sigh of relief when she got to her desk at RangeMan having only run into one other employee. She really wasn't in the mood for small talk—even though RangeMan employees tended to take that term literally and for the most part kept to two word sentences. Steph worked steadily throughout the afternoon, purposely keeping her mind occupied so she didn't have to think about the party that evening or about how Carrissa's room was shaping up. She was so excited to see the room, whenever she allowed herself to think about how it would look she would wish, once again, that Joe was just a little less stringent about following every rule in the pregnancy book he'd gotten for himself; while at the same time acknowledging to herself that his zealousness at being a father was damn sexy.

The time finally came for Steph to leave. If she stayed any longer she wouldn't have enough time to get ready for the party so Joe had just better be ready for her. Steph just hoped she'd be as fortunate getting out of the building undetected as she'd been coming in. _No such luck_, Steph thought grumpily when she saw Cal approaching the elevator. Steph quickly started mentally calculating the length of the elevator ride and how that equated to how much polite chatter she'd have to engage in, when all of a sudden Cal's eyes darted to her stomach and he quickly pivoted and changed his direction. After his experience with Val's water erupting all over him, Steph could sorta see his reticence at being locked in an elevator with her yet she still couldn't help but be grossly offended.

"Chicken! I'm not due for another month," Steph shouted out, but her voice trailed away behind the closing elevator doors. Steph sighed, closed her eyes, and laid her head back against the rear wall of the elevator. Looking on the positive side of her humiliation, at least she didn't have to make that small talk she'd been dreading. With her eyes closed, Steph didn't notice Ranger stepping inside the elevator right before the doors closed. On the other hand, Ranger _had_ seen Cal 's hastry retreat from the elevator, noted the disgruntled expression on Steph's face and consequently had to struggle to keep the amusement out of his voice when he spoke to get her attention.

"Problems, Babe?"

Steph opened her eyes and glared at Ranger. She could easily read Ranger's mirth and correctly guessed that he had seen what happened. "Besides the fact that I'm a walking beach ball, your men are afraid of me and I have dinner with Joe's family tonight? Nope, no problems at all. Why do you ask?" Steph added with a smirk. "

"You're looking a little uptight right now, Babe. Even though you're not bounty hunting anymore, you should remember the rules I taught you for it can apply to real life too. Like your dinner tonight."

"Yeah? And exactly what rule should I be applying to this evening, oh mentor extraordinaire?"

Since Steph was already edgy enough as it was, Ranger figured he wouldn't prick her temper anymore by pointing out her sarcasm was unnecessary when he was only trying to help. He simply answered her question. "The first rule of bounty hunting. Never let 'em see fear. You can't let Joe's grandmother see your fear. Eye of the tiger, Babe, eye of the tiger."

"Except that Bella has "The eye" and I'm fairly certain that trumps 'the eye of the tiger' which leaves me exactly nowhere," Steph said in a glum voice.

Ranger chuckled. "Just do your best, Tiger."

The elevator came to a halt on that note and the doors opened. Steph nodded at Ranger, tossed out a negligent "thanks" and shuffled away.

Joe heard the front door and rushed downstairs to greet Steph. Her pinched expression spoke volumes about her apprehension over the upcoming evening. He hoped his surprises would ease some of that. Starting with showing Steph Carrissa's room. It had turned out exactly as he'd hoped and he couldn't wait for Steph to see it.

"Are you ready to see the room?" Joe asked with unguarded enthusiasm. Joe's excitement nearly overrode Steph's, which she found vastly amusing since Joe usually kept tighter control over his emotions. Today, he was like a kid in a candy store.

"I certainly am," Steph replied as she put herself in Joe's hands. Joe led the way up the stairs, and when they reached the top he covered Steph's eyes with his hand and led her to the bedroom. Since they had picked out the paint together, Steph thought she knew, basically, what to expect so was somewhat baffled by all Joe's efforts to keep her in the dark prior to reaching the room. When they reached the room and Joe uncovered her eyes, she understood why. It was apparent Joe had returned to the paint store without her knowledge and made some additional purchases. What Steph saw stole her breath away and she just might have fallen over if, at that moment, Joe hadn't stepped behind her and wrapped his arms around her middle while she stood transfixed, gaping at the room which had been magically transformed into a fairy tale.

The pale pink paint that they had chosen was there, but now it was the background for a stately castle, which Joe had been able to create using stencils. Grass and flowers grew up from the floorboards in a magical meadow. Along the upper moldings, white clouds floated over the realm. It was a room fit for a princess, painted most obviously by a doting father. Steph continued to stare at the room for several long minutes, then turned in Joe's arms and squeezed him tightly. "It's beautiful, Joe…perfect," she whispered into his chest.

Joe, pleased that Steph liked the enhancements he'd added to the pink walls they had decided on together, nodded against her head. "It had to be," he responded before lightly kissing the top of her head. Nothing in his daughter's life would ever be ordinary, Joe added in a silent vow as he and Steph stood holding each other in the center of the room. He wished they could stay like this longer, but he knew it was getting late. He couldn't stop himself from kissing Steph one last time, however. "We need to start getting ready for the party, Steph," he whispered after he broke the kiss.

"I know, I know," Steph grumbled. "I'll go now." Steph took one last look around the room, smiled a bright smile, then kissed Joe passionately in celebration of her delight with the room. She left Joe standing dazed in the center of the room, fighting his body's response to Steph's kiss. It wouldn't do at all for them to be late to their own party, so he forced himself to push all thoughts of following Steph and continuing that kiss to its natural conclusion, out of his mind.

In the meantime, Steph stood in front of her closet, mentally throwing out every outfit hanging in front of her. She had to look perfect tonight. Grandma Bella was always looking for a reason to cast her in a dubious light and although it might have been silly, Steph gained confidence when her outer appearance was above reproach. It simply made Steph feel better seeing Joe's family when her armor was shiny, so to speak. Nowadays it was hard for Steph to feel good in anything she wore. At 36 weeks, her stomach had grown to a circumference that at one time she would have thought humanly impossible. She hadn't been exaggerating when she'd told Joe she was getting scared about the birth. Although it obviously wasn't, when comparing the size of her stomach to the size of the area between her legs, giving birth really seemed to be an impossible task. Well hell, Steph mused, if Val could do it she could do it. If nothing else, Steph was competitive and she knew she had more grit than Val any day of the week. When her time came, she'd conquer it with dignity. She wouldn't make a squeak of protest. Why, it'd be easier than…than…damn, at this point it'd be easier than finding something to wear to the party tonight. _Why hadn't she gone shopping for something_, Steph lamented. She knew why. Because as depressing as standing here finding nothing to wear was, failing to find something that fit when she was inside of a store where her failure would be publicized was infinitely worse. Now past her limit of frustration, Steph surrendered to the inclination that had been building for the last couple of minutes, and screamed.

"I'm fat, Joe. F-A-T, FAT!! There is nothing in this closet that is going to look good on me. Not ever again. Never. I'm going to be big and fat forever. Do you hear me? I hope you do and you'd better not be laughing in there either and I mean it! I don't think I can go tonight and I need some understanding!!!"

Joe had known this moment would come, and had purposely remained in Carrissa's room waiting for it. Now it was time for Steph's second surprise of the day. He was hoping that between the baby's room and his next surprise, Steph's anxiety over the party would be somewhat lessened. He didn't want Steph to be stressed out right now. His goal was to keep her calm and happy. He hoped his two surprises would accomplish that, but since most of Steph's worry in the immediate moment came from seeing Bella, then as a last resort he was prepared to use his and Steph's choice for Carrissa's middle name as his secret weapon. They'd been hoping to keep it a secret from Bella until the baby was born, but he'd use it tonight if Bella went after Steph as she was prone to do. But first, Steph's surprise.

"I was in our room earlier and I saw something that would look fine," Joe shouted back. "Just keep looking, I'm sure you'll notice it too."

Steph blew out a big breath. She was sure Joe was trying to be helpful, he just didn't get it. In truth, he probably hadn't heard a word she said beyond simply not being able to find something to wear. Besides, she didn't want to look just "fine," she wanted to look GREAT.

"I'm sure you _think_ you saw something that would do, but no offense Honey, this isn't exactly your area of expertise."

In Carrissa's room, Joe was straining to contain his laughter. Steph would see how much of a non-expert he was in a couple minutes. In the meantime, he forced himself to be patient and say nothing further and he definitely couldn't laugh. He wanted Steph mildly frustrated, not livid.

"I'm telling you," Steph shouted when Joe didn't respond to her, "I'm standing in front of the closet and nothing is good enough."

Joe took a deep breath, striving to keep his voice even when he responded to Steph. "No, not the closet," Joe yelled. "What I saw was hanging behind the bedroom door."

_The door?_ Steph thought. She never hung clothes behind the door. The paint fumes must have gone to Joe's head and caused hallucinations. She was about to protest Joe's statement with a comment that was sure to be incredibly snarky when her innate curiosity got the better of her. If Joe was putting her on, he'd incur her wrath soon enough as she was in no mood to be jerked around. But there was a tugging at the corners of her mind telling her to see exactly what it was Joe was up to before she went any further. Steph crept toward the door as if something were likely to jump out at her at any second. When she was close enough, she reached out and quickly swung the door shut. And then her mouth dropped open. And then she emitted a shriek of joy. Joe must have been gunning for sainthood at this point, because hanging on the door was a stunningly sleek, black knit weave dress; cut modestly low in the front; with an empire waist that flared to a full skirt. It was perfect. Exactly something Steph would have picked out for herself. Joe either had great taste in women's fashion that he kept well hidden, or he simply knew her extremely well. Steph would put her money on the latter.

Joe heard the screech just seconds before he heard the sound of thundering footsteps coming down the hall. He smoothed out the smile that had burst forth at the sound of Steph's scream, and assumed an air of disinterest when Steph appeared in the doorway.

"You find something?" Joe threw over his shoulder.

Steph was too happy to play the game. "Joe," Steph said breathlessly. "It's…oh my god…it's…"

Joe's smile involuntarily returned, he was so filled with joy that Steph liked the dress. The saleslady who'd helped him had assured Joe she would, but until he'd seen Steph's speechless reaction, he'd been apprehensive anyway. With his back turned to Steph, she couldn't see his pleased reaction, so he stuck with his non-chalance rather than taking the chance on saying something that would cause an emotional tidal wave from Steph that would undoubtedly cause them to be late.

"Now that you've found something, just go get dressed, will ya? You know if we're late everyone's going to blame me."

Steph accepted Joe's pardon gratefully. She was so close to crying over how incredible Joe had been today, if he'd said anything remotely sweet or kind it surely would've put her over the edge. And she certainly didn't want to show up at Angie Morelli's house looking red and blotchy. She had to get hold of herself. With her control hanging by a very thin thread, Steph simply responded "sure" in a soft voice and walked back to her and Joe's bedroom.

After slipping the dress on, Steph stood in front of the mirror gazing at her transformation. She certainly didn't feel frumpy anymore. The bodice of the dress clung to her ample breasts, while the neckline showed off just enough of her new cleavage. The lower half of the dress molded around her belly and accentuated the roundness while at the same time hiding the extra pounds she'd put on. She looked round, but in a svelte way. The dress showcased her belly in a manner that made her feel proud instead of fat. Steph again thought to herself that Joe could not have picked a more perfect dress and wondered at his intuition. His thoughtfulness, on the other hand, was something she was already quite familiar with. After one final twirl in front of the mirror, Steph left for the bathroom to do her hair and make-up.

When she came out, Joe was standing in the bedroom freshly dressed and ready to go himself. Joe was wearing black trousers and a pale pink shirt that offset his olive complexion. Joe wouldn't normally wear pink, but Steph thought he looked wonderful. She knew he was wearing the color today in honor of the upcoming birth of his daughter and it made him even more handsome in her eyes. She practically ate him up with her hungry gaze, feasting on the most gorgeous man she had ever laid eyes on.

Joe was pleased at his wife's reaction to him but more importantly, he was bowled over at how truly sexy Steph looked with her pregnancy and a swell of pride filled his heart. "You look fantastic Steph," Joe said reverently. Steph wasn't used to feeling inhibited around Joe. They'd been together too long for that. But there was just something about the way he was looking at her that made her mind melt and speech almost impossible.

"Thanks. For saying that. And for the dress. It's beautiful." Joe nodded, unable to force any words out with the way his breath was lodged in his chest. Steph gave herself a mental head slap then. She was sure Joe's silence indicated he was waiting for her to say something about his appearance as well, and it definitely did deserve some kudos. "And may I also say that you are a perfectly formed model of the male species."

Joe produced an endearing grin. "Well, thanks yourself. Are you ready to go?"

"As ready as if I were facing a firing squad," Steph answered squarely.

Joe laughed as he held his arm out to Steph and she looped hers through it. Joe helped Steph down the stairs, which had become increasingly more treacherous in this late stage of her pregnancy.

Once in the car, Steph couldn't stop beaming. She immediately took Joe's hand and held it the entire way to Angie Morelli's house. It was an expression of both affection and gratitude, for nobody had ever done more for her in a single day to make her feel so beautiful and loved. Unfortunately, a few moments after arriving at Mrs. Morelli's house, what she wasn't feeling was relaxed. As it turned out, they were the last to arrive at the party and it wasn't even for the reason that everyone assumed. Perhaps if it had been, Steph would be feeling more relaxed right now. Steph's mom had greeted them at the door, explaining that Joe's mom was busy in the kitchen. Helen gave Steph a chiding look for a brief moment before pulling her in for a hug. It was obvious she wasn't happy with Joe and Steph for being late, but the pregnancy was like a get out of jail free card. Helen wasn't going to waste a moment talking about the time when there was a baby to discuss. Steph's mom pulled her away from Joe just as Mooch sidled up. Seconds later, Steph heard Mooch's shout from across the room.

"Aw shit, Steph. What the hell have you done to Joe now? He's wearing freakin' pink for Christ's sake!"

Steph pulled her attention away from her mother and turned to Mooch. "Sorry to disappoint you Mooch, but Joe's a big boy now so he gets dressed all by himself. I think he does a damn fine job of it too. Maybe when you grow up you can dress yourself too." Steph smirked at Mooch and Mooch gave her a responding sneer.

Joe slapped Mooch on the back. "Come on you big chooch. You're ill-equipped to get into a verbal sparring match with my wife. Let's go grab something to eat before you embarrass yourself further."

Steph watched Joe amble off with Mooch then turned back to her mom. Helen gave Steph a tiny lecture about showing respect to Joe's relatives, although she seemd more amused by Steph's ouburst than annoyed, then left her to see to the food. Helen was quickly replaced by Mary and Cathy Morelli and Val. They couldn't wait to compliment Steph on her dress. It delighted Steph to tell anyone who'd listen that Joe bought the dress for her. He was a breed above the rest of the Morelli men and Steph loved letting everyone else know it.

After the sister swarm left her, Steph's focus turned to finding Joe. He was her anchor in these family situations and she wanted him next to her before she had to deal with some of the crazier members of the Morelli clan and their bizarro conversation topics about she and Joe's life together. So far, Joe hadn't come back from wherever he'd gone with Mooch. She started to look for him, keeping her head down, hoping to avoid eye contact with anyone These things were so much easier when she could drink, Steph thought in exasperation since that was clearly not an option this time around. Then the craving hit her like a lightning bolt. Instantaneously, she had to have something, anything, that contained a high sodium content. That would surely help her cope, she thought irrationally. She was just about to go to the kitchen when a warm, familiar hand clasped her shoulder and a sexy voice washed over her.

"Doing alright, Cupcake?"

Steph turned into Joe's arms and grabbed onto his shirt in desperation. "Joe, I'm craving salt."

"Salt?"

Steph gave him a disgruntled look. There was no time to have her demands questioned. "Yes, salt! I have to have something salty. _Now_!"

Joe was used to Steph's craving requests, but he still found them amusing. "What would you like me to get you?" he asked with a laugh

"I don't know. Our moms must have made something salty, right? Better yet, how about a pickle? And stop laughing at me. I know it's a cliché but your mom has to have pickles."

Joe stifled his laughter. "I don't know, but I do know there's always a stock of green olives for martinis."

"Perfect! That's perfect. That's just what I need. Get me a bowl of green olives."

Joe couldn't stifle his laughter anymore, nor could he be shocked that Steph would want a whole bowl of olives. It was the truth that he had seen a lot of crazy cravings during this pregnancy. So much so, that one of his new mottos of late was "Never make a pregnant woman with a craving wait to satisfy it." So he simply hurried off to get his wife a bowl of green olives.

_What did I just do?_ Steph cried to herself as Joe walked away. She'd just been wishing him at her side yet as soon as he'd shown up there she'd sent him away. Her brain had abandoned her and been replaced by her baby's. But before she could get too angry with herself or doom poor Carrissa to her room before she'd even been born, Joe returned with her olives. Steph popped one in her mouth, sucking on it to release every milligram of salt it contained, before chewing it up and swallowing it. She popped a second one in her mouth, repeated her previous actions, then smiled serenely at Joe. He reached out and twirled a strand of her hair around his finger and anyone looking at them could see how much he adored her. They stayed together until dinner was served.

Between Steph and Joe's mom's, they'd made enough food as if everyone was eating for two. Steph decided she'd compensate by consuming as much as if she were eating for four. It was her only defense against the embarrassing questions being posed to her about the pregnancy since she couldn't exactly answer anything when her mouth was full. In fact, talk was predominantly about the baby as everyone was excited to bring a new member into the fold on both sides of the families. The inevitable friendly insults were lobbed across the table and Joe invariably endured some barbs about his male prowess from his brothers, now that he had "managed to finally pitch one in." Throughout dinner, Steph kept waiting for Grandma Bella to have a vision, but she stayed puzzlingly silent.

After dinner, all the guys disbursed to the living room to watch the game-of-the-hour and Steph found herself on her own sans Joe once again. The women lingered at the table a few moments longer, but soon got up to clear away the dishes. Steph intended to help as well, but standing up took her a couple extra minutes than the rest of the group. No sooner had she gotten herself to her feet when she felt an instant drop in the temperature of the room behind her. Recognizing that distinctive chill, Steph wasn't surprised to turn and find Bella behind her, especially after she'd been prodded in the shoulder several times. Steph forced a pleasant, welcoming expression to her face.

"Bella, how are you enjoying yourself tonight?" Steph asked in a voice as sweet as syrup with a smile to match. "I think it's been a lovely party so far."

Bella hated it when members of the family plied her with that phony bullshit. She was old, not stupid, and definitely too old to have any patience with ass-kissing weaklings who panicked at the sight of her. She would tell the girl her vision and be done with it.

"I had a vision," Bella snapped. "You will be giving my Joseph a fine son."

Although Steph had tried to prepare herself for one of Bella's visions, since she was sure Bella knew her ultrasound had shown she and Joe were having a girl she was stymied by Bella's statement. As gently as she could, since she didn't want to suffer the eye, Steph tried to set Bella straight. "Bella, we already know we're having a girl. We had an ultrasound, remember? Surely you've heard that by now."

"Blasphemy!" Bella replied. "Do you dare to contradict my visions?"

An image of her baby being born with warts all over her body and six toes on each foot flashed before Steph's eyes. She subconsciously placed her hands on top of her stomach and rested them there. Bella noticed this and scoffed inwardly. This one had the fear in her. Already the girl was yammering to appease her.

"No, never, it's just…"

Bella liked to rest after her visions, so she interrupted the rambling explanation she was sure was coming. She didn't want to hear about tests and machines. She knew what she saw in her visions. But-- just so that the girl couldn't accuse her of being wrong-- she qualified her prediction. "Perhaps it's possible it's the next one who will be the boy. That is all for now. I must go lie down."

Steph watched Bella glide away like she was a member of the royal family, albeit a demented member. Bella's qualifier hadn't done much to make Steph feel a whole lot better, if indeed that was Bella's intention. Although she didn't think Bella had cast any spells on her unborn child over Steph's correcting her about the sex of the baby; still, here she was freaking out about delivering this baby and Bella already had her pregnant with the next one! Steph felt herself starting to hyperventilate and mentally catalogued the Lamaze breathing techniques she'd been learning just in case she'd need them in the next few seconds. She was so distracted, she didn't notice Joe come up beside her.

"Steph, everything OK?"

Steph could hear the concern in Joe's voice. He was so solicitous of her feelings. Steph felt guilty, but she thought to use that to get them out of the party before anything _worse_ could happen to her. "I'm feeling a little sick, Joe. Maybe we should go."

Joe had seen Bella and Steph talking, so he had a good idea what was causing Steph's "sickness." He'd been worried that Steph had gotten upset by something Bella said which was why he'd come to check on her. But he knew they couldn't leave quite yet without upsetting a whole lot of people so he called Steph's bluff. "Honey, you haven't had morning sickness in months."

Steph frowned at Joe's failure to capitulate to her suggestion that they leave. "I said I was feeling sick, I didn't say it was morning sickness. Something else must be causing it." Steph lifted her chin in a defiant gesture.

Joe gave Steph a soft smile. "It's almost over. You're going to be fine, Steph. Hang in there a little while longer."

Steph knew Joe wasn't buying into the sick excuse, so she abandoned the pretense. "Do you recall that I usually have liquid assistance to help me get through these shindigs?" Steph moped. "I'm dying here, Joe."

"You're not dying," Joe soothed in a low, smooth voice. "But you do seem rather tense. I guess we'll just have to think of something besides a drink to relax you when this is all over and we leave."

That perked Steph up. "What did you have in mind?" she all but cooed.

Joe considered it a moment. "We could try out another one of the massages in your pregnancy book as a start," he replied, his soft smile morphing into something a tad more on the carnal side.

"You got yourself a deal." A deal Steph was more than happy with, especially if she could manage to stay out of Bella's way the rest of the night. At least, for now, Bella had gone to lie down.

Joe gave Steph a soft kiss on her tempting lips, then told her he was going back to watch the game. In truth, he took off in search of Bella. Steph's hormones were making her moods volatile. Almost anything and everything made her either cry or scream. Everyone was treating her with kid gloves lately and Joe wanted to make sure he added Bella to that list. She'd obviously said something to Steph that had Steph agitated, and he wanted to make sure it didn't happen again. Joe hated when Steph was upset, especially now, and he wouldn't tolerate anyone troubling her.

Joe caught up with Bella upstairs. "Bella, I'd like to have a word with you."

Bella beamed at her favorite grandson. "Of course, Joey. For you, I make time."

Joe smiled back at his grandmother. He loved her and he didn't really want to have to do this, but Steph and Carrissa's well-being were of utmost importance to him and Bella certainly did have a tendency to goad Steph. He'd be kind, but firm, in letting Bella know that wasn't acceptable to him.

"Bella," Joe said, trying to school his smile into a stern expression, "I cannot allow you to upset my wife in her delicate condition."

"Pffft," Bella scoffed. "She is pregnant, Joseph, not an egg. Besides, that one is not so delicate as you think." Joe looked as if he was about to argue with her, so she quickly added in her defense, "I say nothing to upset her anyway."

Joe's brows puckered and Bella knew he didn't believe her. His concern for the girl was vastly evident in the glare he was directing at her. It pleased Bella, for he had become so much more of a man than any of the other Morelli males, while at the same time it vexed her because presently his concern for his woman put her on the receiving end of his censure. Bella narrowed her eyes at Joe. "I could still give you the eye and you know it," she warned.

Joe chuckled. "My irresistible charm is a permanent safeguard from the eye and _you_ know it."

Bella shook her head. Joey really was such a rascal. It was why he was her favorite. And she couldn't argue with him. He was, indeed, safe from the eye. Heaven help her, she would have to listen to his fretting about his wife. Bella smirked at Joe. "Alright, Joey. What makes you think I upset Stephanie?"

Joe nodded his head once, satisfied that Bella was going to listen to him. "Because I spoke with her a couple minutes after you did and she seemed a little…rattled."

All she did was tell her a vision and roar at her a little bit, Bella thought to herself. Hardly worth a mention at all. "That woman of yours needs some gumption, Joey," Bella harrumphed. "Perhaps if I…"

"You won't do anything, Bella," Joe interrupted. "I love Steph just the way she is. Now, I have something to tell you and I want you to really listen this time, alright?" Bella crossed her arms over her chest and Joe thought about what a stubborn woman she could be. He reminded himself he did love her, though, and he wanted some harmony between her and the other woman he loved. The time had come to tell Bella about Carrissa's naming. "I want you to know that Steph has chosen Isabelle as the baby's middle name. She wants the baby named for you, Bella," Joe said pointedly. "I was thinking to keep it a secret until after the birth, but it seems perhaps it's something you need to know now."

Bella's eyes widened and she uncrossed her arms to place a hand over her heart. To cover her emotional reaction, Bella quickly closed her eyes tight. "I'm having a vision."

Joe groaned inwardly. He had thought talking to Bella would be best for Steph, but had forgotten to take into account how much Bella enjoyed her theatrics. Oh well, dealing with them now was a small price to pay if Bella eased up on Steph a bit in the future. Bella opened her eyes and looked at Joe. "I must go inform Stephanie of my new vision."

Joe opened his mouth to issue a firm reminder of what they had just talked about, but Bella cut him off. "Do not worry Joseph. I will say nothing to upset her. Your protectiveness, though it made you quite impudent with me tonight, is very admirable." Gentling her voice, Bella added, "You make me very proud."

Joe returned to the game, confident and happy that Steph and Bella would be alright from here on out.

"I thought you went to lie down," Steph said to Bella when she saw her approach. Steph had been so unhappy when she noticed Bella returning to the party so quickly, she forgot to make herself sound delighted at the prospect of being in Bella's company once again. Bella noticed. It was a refreshing change, actually, but she wasn't about to let the girl know that.

"Don't use that fresh mouth on me, young missy. My Joseph came to talk to me and now I come to talk to you."

Steph hoped that wasn't a whimpering sound she'd just made as her mind was barraged with yet more curses that could befall her. Don't show your fear, Ranger had said. Steph stared stonily at Bella for a moment while she pulled herself together and tried to think of what Joe could have said to Bella that would make Bella seek her out again. She was coming up empty and would just have to see if Bella would fill her in.

"He did? Why?" Steph asked suspiciously.

Bella answered the question with one of her own. "Is it true that the baby is to be given Isabelle as one of her names?"

Bella was impossible to read, so Steph couldn't determine whether or not the baby's name was a good thing or a bad thing in Bella's estimation. Consequently, all she could do was answer the question truthfully and hope for the best.

"It is true, actually." Steph wanted to sound forceful, in a whether-you-like-it-or-not kinda way, but the threat of the eye always weighed heavily. She caved. "Is that OK?" she added cautiously.

Bella wasn't able to answer Stephanie right away. It wasn't as if she'd thought her Joey had lied to her, he wouldn't do that. Still, it was nice to hear Stephanie confirm what he'd told her and know the girl hadn't changed her mind. Few things made her happy nowadays. This did. A faint smile ghosted at the corners of Bella's mouth. Steph responded with a grimace.

"What's wrong with you?" Bella asked in her regular, surly tone. Bella had been just about to say something nice to the girl, but was highly put out by the face the girl made at her and now could no longer be bothered to.

_Perfect timing, Carrissa._ _I'm fairly certain the old bat was about to act kind._ "Oh, it's just the baby. Seems she's having a hard time getting comfortable." _She can probably smell my fear, _Steph thought morosely.

Bella watched Steph carefully as another ripple coursed over Steph's stomach. A sudden impulse came over Steph and she acted on it before she could give it a second thought. Steph reached out for Bella's hand and placed it on her stomach just as Carrissa did another flip and roll. She kept a close eye on Bella's face during Carrissa's performance, and although Steph could've been imagining it, since she'd certainly never seen an occurrence of it previously, she swore she saw Bella's eyes mist.

"That's Joe's bambina," Bella said gently in a softer voice than Steph had ever heard her use before. Steph smiled to herself. She had the crazy notion that she might have had something to do with the baby too. And maybe one day that recognition would come from Bella. But right now, Steph was more than content that Bella loved this baby simply because of its connection to Joe. Especially since the baby was going to be named for her. And, Steph mused, if that didn't get _her_ lifetime immunity from the eye, well, at least she was fairly confident Carrissa would have it. Then Bella looked up at her with a truly joyous smile and eyes filled with gratitude and Steph re-thought things for herself. Perhaps the unthinkable had happened. She wasn't entirely sure, but she thought she just might have bonded with Bella.

When Steph and Joe left that evening, Steph felt better than she had in a while. The night had ended on a festive note when Joe and Steph opened the gifts from the members of Joe's family that hadn't attended Steph's other shower, as well as the crib from Steph's parents. And now that the room was painted, Frank was promising to come by the following weekend to help Joe build it. Steph wasn't planning on missing that. But the greatest surprise, and joy, of the evening was that Steph and Bella had reached a preliminary understanding tonight. Steph was still astonished at that, but she wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth. She'd been hoping for this outcome when she chose Carrissa's middle name, and she wasn't going to worry over it now that it had happened. No, she was simply going to relax and look forward to the foot massage that Joe had promised her earlier.

When Joe and Steph arrived home, Steph took care of letting Bob out while Joe brought all the packages into the house. Afterward, they let Bob have his way with the wrapping paper and ribbons while they relaxed on the couch undisturbed.

"Tonight went well, huh?" Joe prompted Steph. He was hoping to hear about what happened between her and Bella after he'd had his chat with Bella.

"It really did," Steph replied. "Bella was pleased about the baby's name. It was good that you told her." She said nothing more and Joe didn't press. The genuinely happy smile that Steph wore, full of satisfaction, indicated to Joe that things had worked out between Bella and Steph just as he'd hoped they would. Steph turned her face to Joe. "Oh, and did you know Bella had a vision that we were having a boy." Steph laughed. "She said the vision was about the next one. Can you believe that?" Steph's laugh morphed into a groan. "I just want to get this one out before I think about the next one."

Joe reached out and smoothed the back of his hand down the side of Steph's face. "Don't think about it right now. Just close your eyes."

Steph eagerly complied and Joe lifted Steph's feet into his lap. They fell into a companionable silence after that. Joe enclosed one of Steph's feet between his palms. One by one he compressed each toe between his strong fingers. After grazing lightly over the tops of the toes, Joe stroked his thumbs up and down the center of the sole a few times before returning to once again trace small circles on the top of Steph's toes. The pleasure elicited from Joe's touch was starting to radiate from Steph's feet to other, more intimate, areas of Steph's body. She entertained the idea of moving to the bedroom, but ultimately, the massage felt too good to ask Joe to stop. So she sank deeper into the couch cushions and experienced the magic of Joe's hands all over again as he moved to her other foot.

When Joe finished the massage, Steph resembled a mass of quivering jelly. Joe regarded her with a look of male smugness for a moment, then rose from the couch to make Steph her nightly cup of peppermint tea. When the tea was finished, he grabbed himself a beer and returned to Steph, reseating himself on the couch next to her. Joe handed Steph her tea, then took a swallow of his beer.

"Whew! My arms are feeling pretty tired from giving that massage."

Steph's eyes narrowed as she contemplated Joe. She didn't believe him and wondered what he was up to. Joe answered that quickly enough when he faked a stretch of his arms and placed his mug of beer squarely on Steph's stomach. "You don't mind if I rest this here, do ya Sweetheart?"

Joe's smile radiated angelic innocence but the devilish glint in his eyes belied it. Steph let Joe see the full measure of her displeasure at becoming a table in the irritated frown on her once blissful face.

Joe marvelled at just how quickly a pregnant woman's mood could shift.

"What? I'm joking. Come on, you can take a joke."

Steph added slitted eyes to the frowning mouth, making a truly scary picture. "Okaaay, maybe not," Joe acknowledged, although the slight quivering at the edges of Steph's frown told Joe she was probably taking this better than she was letting on. Regardless, he reached out to remove the glass but before he could, Carrissa executed one of her infamous kicks, upsetting the balanced drink and dumping it all over Joe's lap. Steph's quivering lips turned into a full-fledged grin and she laughed hysterically.

"Oh, you SO deserved that," she choked out between guffaws as Joe hopped around trying to separate the wet clinging fabric from his legs before finally giving up and stripping the pants off altogether. He looked down at Steph, tears streaming from her eyes, and began laughing right along with her as he sauntered off to get cleaned up. When Joe was gone, Steph gave her belly a conspiratorial pat. "Perfect shot, Baby!"

Score one for the ladies.


	11. Chapter 10

**Ch.** **10**

Steph had started her maternity leave the week before. Joe had wrapped up all his current cases and been sticking close to home, both of them using the free time to finish setting up the baby's room. In the evenings, they would take long walks, hand-in-hand, Bob running at their sides, hoping to stimulate the onset of labor. Steph had read in her books that walking sometimes worked, and she was ready to have this baby. Actually, both she and Joe were ready to have this baby they'd been waiting for for so long. This precious miracle that would complete them as a family. Steph had also read that sex could stimulate labor, so they'd been testing that theory heavily as well. If at first you don't succeed…

Currently lying in bed, Joe sleeping peacefully at her side, it was hard to believe but Steph thought the time was finally here. Throughout the night, she had been experiencing mild twinges that had kept her awake but which hadn't really been very painful and had progressed gradually. Steph had felt no reason to disturb Joe's slumber, just in case the pains were a false alarm. Since this was her first baby, Steph couldn't be completely positive she was experiencing real labor and she didn't want to be one of those women who ran to the hospital, only to be sent back home again with a "come back later when you're really in labor." How embarrassing would that be?

In Lamaze class, the instructor had suggested for the mom's to find a "happy place" to go to inside their minds to distract them from the labor pain. At the completion of the class, Steph had decided that her happy place would, in fact, be the class itself. Steph couldn't think of anything that made her smile more at the moment then the sight of Joe performing the breathing exercises, applying the same stealth concentration to the task as he did to solving one of his cases. So, Steph had snuggled into the warmth of Joe's body, resting her head on his chest and twining their legs together, letting it relax and comfort her as it always did, and focused her mind on those fun memories instead of the discomfiting tightening around her middle.

Now, as sunlight began slanting through the curtains, Joe slowly woke up. Finding Steph laying so close to him, he smiled, wrapped one arm around her shoulders and placed his other hand on her stomach. Steph felt the brush of Joe's lips on her forehead at the same moment she felt the sharp—and somewhat painful—contraction. The feeling was stronger and felt more "real" than anything that had come the night before and Steph instinctively knew the baby meant business. There was no way the pain could be mistaken for anything except a genuine labor pain. Steph's hands curled into the hair on Joe's chest, anchoring her, and when she heard his tiny gasp, she looked up into his sleepy, wonderful face.

Joe had felt the contraction of Steph's stomach beneath his hand, the powerful force of his child laboring to be born. "Whoa," Joe exclaimed, too overcome to manage much more. There was a brief flash of panic in his eyes before he pulled himself together and took control. Joe's face became a portrait of calm, his movements steady, but his eyes burned brightly with excitement.

"It's show time Joe. You feel like going for an early morning drive?" Steph asked shakily.

"Let me gather your things together and we'll be on our way."

Steph had thought it funny that Joe hadn't mentioned getting dressed. Perusing his appearance now, she hoped he'd remember while she was showering. "I'd like to take a shower first. I'd feel better. When it looked as though Joe might argue with her, she quickly added, "First babies can take a while, so I don't think we need to hurry." Joe clenched his jaw and gave up the fight, not wanting to upset Steph and figuring she knew best. He assured her that while she showered, he would take care of getting her bag in the car and calling the doctor's office and their mothers to let them know they were on their way to the hospital. Steph was a little surprised by Joe's composure. He'd been so excitable throughout the pregnancy, yet now seemed to completely have his wits about him. Steph was too distracted, and--frankly--too grateful, to ponder it too closely.

The pains continued steadily in the shower, further evidence that she was indeed in labor, since she had learned in class that movement, changing positions or a shower could stop contractions during false labor. She hurried through her shower as best she could in her condition, quickly threw some gel in her hair and moved to the bedroom to get dressed, where Joe was waiting for her—dressed, Steph noted-- since finishing the calls to their parents. When the now familiar tightening around her middle started, Steph was determined to barrel through it. She wanted to get dressed and out the door, anxious now to get to the hospital. But this contraction was even sharper than the last, and the more severe pain caught her off guard. She stopped and doubled over at her waist, trying to remember her breathing exercises, but unable to. All she could manage was to gasp with the sudden onslaught of pain. In an instant, Joe was at her side, holding her hand and leading her through her breathing patterns until the contraction had mercifully subsided.

Steph's anxiety was growing in concordance with the stronger contractions, she just wasn't sure if she was more anxious about the actual birth or finally getting to see her daughter and hold her in her arms. For as uncertain as she had been in the beginning of her pregnancy about being able to meet the challenges of motherhood, she had since formed an extraordinary bond with the baby who had lived inside her and made her unique personality felt for so many months now and she was impatient to finally meet her. But whatever the exact reason for her anxiety was, at the moment Joe's composed demeanor was starting to rankle and she lashed out.

"How can you be so damn calm?" she shouted at Joe, knowing she was being unfairly grouchy, but unable to control herself.

Joe smiled gently at her, his eyes filled with love. "Because you need me to be," he stated assuredly.

In an instant, the wind was taken from Steph's sails and she calmed down, returning Joe's smile and hoping to gain his forgiveness. She needed his strength, his patience and his calm. She had no right to get angry at him when he was giving her all those things. Rationality didn't have a HUGE place in a laboring woman's thinking, but she could at least try her best. Anxious to get Steph into the car before another contraction came, Joe wrapped his arms underneath hers and helped her out the door. Throughout the short drive, Joe steered with his left hand and held Steph's hand with his right. Steph was quiet, but from the grip she had on his fingers he knew she was in pain. Thankfully, when Joe had called Steph's doctor, the doctor had let him know that he would alert the hospital to Steph's impending arrival and have someone waiting at the entrance for her. When Joe pulled up to the doors of the hospital, Steph was relieved to see Julie there, the same nurse who had assisted Val with Lisa's birth.

Julie wheeled a chair over to the curb and pulled open Steph's door. Flashing a wide smile, Julie said, "We've been waiting a long time to have the other Plum sister as our guest. I'm glad to see you, Steph. How are you holding up?"

"Alright. Nothing I can't handle," Steph said with feigned bravado, then gasped as another contraction hit. Julie took Steph's hand and timed the contraction. "That was good, Steph," she said when it was over, "can you tell me when the last one was?"

"About six minutes ago," Joe interjected, hovering helplessly by the car.

Julie smiled at Joe, hoping to calm the concerned father. "Well then, I think it's time we got you to a room," Julie said, turning her attention back to Steph and helping her into the wheelchair. Addressing Joe she said, "We'll see you in a few minutes Detective Morelli. Steph will be fine. I'll take good care of her."

"I'll be right there, Steph," Joe assured her with a smile. Steph nodded, her bottom lip planted between her teeth. Their gazes held for a moment afterward, before Julie wheeled Steph away. While Joe arranged parking for the car and filled out the registration paperwork, Julie took Steph to her labor and delivery room. Once there, she helped Steph undress and change into a hospital gown. When she was ready, Steph arranged herself as comfortably as she could in the hospital bed and Julie hooked her up to a fetal monitor.

"I'm going off-duty now, Steph. My shift was just about over when the call came in that you were on your way so I stayed to make sure you got settled alright. Your new nurse will be Gabby and she's really great so you're in good hands." Steph was disappointed Julie wasn't staying, but did let her know that she appreciated her waiting around to get her situated.

"No problem, Steph. I meant it when I said it's exciting to finally have you in here." Julie took her hand and Steph felt oddly comforted. She missed Joe's calming presence already. "I'm going to send Gabby in now to check you and see how far along you are," Julie continued, "Everything's going to be fine."

Immediately, Steph felt panicky. Julie was leaving and Joe wasn't in the room yet. "Where's Joe? I want Joe."

"I'm sure he'll be here any minute," Julie said, giving the hand she was still holding a reassuring pat. "I'll look for him when I go get Gabby, OK?"

Steph nodded, more than a little embarrassed at the fear she felt. When the next contraction hit, though, her embarrassment was quickly forgotten. Julie coached her through the contraction, and when it was over, left to find Gabby. Steph felt immeasurable relief when both Gabby and Joe showed up no more than a few minutes later.

Joe immediately took up residence at Steph's side and cradled her hand in his while Gabby examined Steph. "You're only at seven centimeters," Gabby informed them. "No problems are showing up on the monitor, everything's progressing satisfactorily right now, but it looks like it might be several more hours yet before the baby's ready to be born. Just keep doing what you've been doing, relaxing and breathing through the contractions. I'll be around periodically to check on you and if you need anything at all in the meantime," she said, gesturing to a panel on the bed, "don't hesitate to use this button here."

After Gabby left, Joe pulled a chair up to the side of the bed and sat next to Steph. Over the next couple hours the contractions came steadily and Steph felt things were progressing. Joe never left her side for a second, except for the times when he would sit behind her on the bed and massage her back or stomach. She was pleased so far with how she was handling her labor. Every once in a while, she even managed a smile at Joe. After a couple hours had gone by, Helen and Val arrived, having finally succeeded in making childcare arrangements for Lisa and the other girls once they got out of school. Even after they arrived, Joe refused to leave his wife's side. It was Joe who monitored each contraction on the fetal monitor, tracking the onset and peak of each contraction to help Steph prepare for the work ahead of her, Joe who kept Steph focused through each contraction and helped her with her breathing, and Joe who kept her distracted between contractions with funny stories, bad jokes, plans for the baby and whatever else he could think of to keep her entertained. Steph even realized that with Joe at her side, she didn't need a happy place. His presence was more than enough to get her through her labor. He was solid and dependable. Helen and Val stood at Steph's other side and offered sympathy and praise, but it was Joe's quiet assurance that got her through each and every labor pain and his devotion to Steph was heartwarming for her family to observe.

As morning turned to afternoon, Steph was feeling the effects of the prolonged labor. She had been trying so hard to be strong because she sensed that Joe felt her pain almost as acutely as she did. He was _her_ strength, she knew she'd be having a much more difficult time without him, so she fought to endure every contraction with courage and mask her distress as much as she could so Joe wouldn't be upset. But she was getting tired now and her resolve was slipping. She hoped this would be over soon. As Joe stared intently into Steph's eyes, coaching her through yet another contraction, he could see her struggle, knew the pain she was trying to hide, and felt sick knowing she was hurting so much.

Throughout the day, Gabby had been periodically stopping in to check on Steph, as she had said she would. At this moment, however, it was a young intern Steph had never seen before, rather than Gabby, who came in to do the examination. When he informed Steph that she had progressed to only 8 cm, her mind struggled to process the information. _All those hours of labor and she had only progressed one centimeter!_ Steph panicked and lost the battle with her control. She cried to Joe that she didn't think she could do it anymore, that she simply didn't have it in her to go through any more of the labor pains. She knew Joe would be able to say just the right thing to get her motivated again, as he had been all day. When Steph and Joe had discussed their birth plan, Steph had been adamant with Joe that no matter what happened on the day of the birth, she did not want any drugs. The idea of having a needle inserted into her back made her cringe. She knew she could endure the labor with Joe at her side, and so it was his job to see that she did with upbeat encouragement. And he'd been doing it brilliantly, so no matter what she said in a moment of panic, she trusted that Joe would help her through it and drugs wouldn't be necessary. Of course, the intern wasn't aware of the agreement Joe and Steph had, and promptly assumed Steph's cries of denial were a request for drugs to help with the pain. In his eagerness to perform his duties well he quickly left the room without a further word to anyone, intent on finding the anesthesiologist to give Steph an epidural.

When the anesthesiologist arrived with the epidural, Steph was at first shocked, then simply freaked out when she saw the needle in his hand.

"I don't want that," Steph promptly yelled at the anesthesiologist.

"Your doctor heard you request it," the anesthesiologist responded in confusion. Most women were happy to see him when he showed up. This woman's reaction was puzzling.

"He misunderstood then. I don't want it," Steph shouted, louder this time.

An argument ensued then as he continued to insist she did want it as her doctor had heard her say it herself. Steph was in too much pain and too tired to argue. She was reaching the point of hysteria thinking she'd be drugged against her will. There was no need to have worried, of course. Her protector was there and after watching the discourse for a couple minutes, Joe had had enough of the man who dared to badger his wife. In a move that was as natural to him as breathing, Joe fanned out the jacket he was wearing, as if to reveal the gun that usually resided on his hip. Of course he didn't actually have the gun with him in the hospital, but the subtle intimidation tactic worked nonetheless. The anestheologist caught Joe's move, as well as the fierce scowl on his face, and hightailed it out of the room with his epidural.

Val had witnessed Joe's slight aggression toward the anesthesiologist and figured she'd best intervene before someone got hurt. Val didn't think the anesthesiologist was stupid enough to come back, but there was always the intern who sent him in the first place. Joe was never at his calmest whenever Steph was hurting. Val went up to Helen and whispered to her that despite their previous failures at getting Joe to take a break, it was time for them to finally convince him it was for the best, as he seemed to be at his wits end as well. Val urged Helen, as the parental figure, to use whatever manipulation was necessary to get Joe to comply. Helen frowned, irritated by the intimation she was skilled at doing such a thing, but approached Joe nevertheless. It took several tries, but Helen ultimately managed to convince Joe the best thing he could do for Steph at the moment was to leave and recharge his stamina for the birth later, as the hardest part was yet to come.

After letting Steph know that he'd be back before too long, Joe kissed her on the forehead and headed for the door, stopping to throw a worried glance her way before turning and leaving. Since Val and Helen had already posted themselves on either side of her, Steph knew she was in good hands, so she'd managed a small smile for Joe before he left to let him know she'd be alright. Joe hated the idea of being away from Steph, but conceded that Helen may have had a point. Problem was, he didn't know what to do with himself if he wasn't coaching Steph. He wandered into an elevator with no real destination in mind and quickly found himself in the lobby. He decided to go outside for some fresh air, when he saw his mother and Bella in the waiting area.

After making his way to their seats, Joe leaned down and gave each woman a kiss. "Mom, Bella, I didn't know you were here."

Raising her hands to the heavens in exasperation, Angie replied, "Your first bambina is coming, Joseph, where else would we be? "We didn't wish to disturb you and Stephanie, but we still wanted to be here when the baby arrived."

His mother's indignation amused him, but Joe didn't have the strength or really the desire, to smile. "Thanks, that means a lot," Joe managed, running his hands over his face in a bid to release some of his tension. Bella saw the strain in Joe's features, knew better than most how worried he was about Stephanie, and yearned to take care of him the way she was sure he'd been taking care of his wife.

"Were you on your way somewhere, Joseph? Is there something I can bring you?" Bella asked.

"No thank you, Bella. I was just on my way outside for some air, but I'd be happy to sit with the both of you instead."

"Nonsense! It would do this old lady good to get some air as well. You will accompany me immediately."

_Now_ Joe grinned despite his tension. Leave it to Bella to sound so commanding, even when she was trying to be helpful. There was no doubt in Joe's mind that Bella had a reason for wanting to see him outside. "Well, then, come on old lady. I don't have all day," he teased.

Joe offered Bella his arm. She pinched it for being sassy with her, then looped her arm through his. Once outdoors, Bella regarded Joe for a long moment; noting his haggard expression and his shoulders weighted with tension. "Talk to me Joseph. I know this is hard for you too. Unburden yourself so you can feel better."

Joe only hesitated for an instant before his words came out in an anguished rush. "Jesus, Bella. I can't stand not being able to do anything for Stephanie. I swear if I had known it was going to be like this, I never would have touched her in the first place."

"Truly the most inane thing I've ever heard a Morelli man say," Bella muttered. "No Morelli man goes without sex."

Joe frowned. "I just don't think it's worth it," Joe grumbled.

"Of course, it's worth it," Bella admonished. "In a little while you're going to have a baby of your very own. Never have I seen a man more excited about this. And what of your mother? You're the last of five, Joseph. If she had thought this way, would she ever have had you?"

"No…but," Joe sputtered.

"The reward is far greater than the effort, Joseph. You will see and so will your Stephanie. She will get through this."

"I know Bella, but it's killing me to see her going through so much pain in the meantime."

Joe's eyes were downcast, but the anguish was clear in his voice. Bella nodded. "It's always like that when you love deeply, Joseph," she said gently, placing her hand on his arm.

Joe looked at up at her beseechingly. "I just don't know what to do, how to help. Can't you do some of your Italian voodoo to help her?"

"_Italian voodoo!?_ How is that to talk?" Bella demanded, standing on tiptoes to smack him. "I should put the eye on you."

And there it was, the small quirk of his lip he couldn't hold back around Bella no matter how sour his mood. He wondered if Bella saw the irony in chastising him about his voodoo comment with threats of the eye, then assumed she hadn't when she added, "There's nothing I can do for Stephanie, but the pain she's experiencing now will quickly be forgotten when she holds her bambina in her arms. Go on back now, Joseph. It is you she needs, not some old woman. I have no doubts you are helping her a great deal."

Joe leaned down and kissed Bella softly on the cheek. "Thanks, Bella."

They walked back inside then and Joe escorted Bella back to her seat. After assuring her and his mother that he would return to notify them as soon as the baby was born, he ran upstairs and proceeded quickly to Steph's room. When Helen saw Joe coming in, she hurried over to him to offer reassurance that everything was under control. She didn't want Joe regretting his decision to leave for a little while, especially since he looked much better to her now than before he'd left.

"She's doing fine, Joseph. She handled each contraction like a pro, doing her breathing exactly the way she was supposed to. She also mumbled something about picturing you breathing along with her in class. I didn't catch it all but it seemed to make her happy."

Joe made a feeble attempt at an actual smile. "I told her she was tough, but she's really astounding me with the strength she's showing through this. I'm so proud of her."

"Steph's lucky to have you, Joseph. Both her father and I couldn't be happier to have you in our family."

Joe did smile then and pressed a kiss to Helen's cheek, much as he had with Bella a few moments ago. It meant a lot to him to be sharing the gesture with Steph's mom. He was rescued from being overcome by the emotional moment when Steph cried out his name.

He excused himself from Helen and sprinted back to Steph's side. "Your mom says you're doing great, Sweetheart. I'm so proud of you."

Steph shook her head against the pillow. "I think another one's coming."

"OK, just hold onto my hand." Joe checked the monitor and indeed saw the peak that indicated the onset of a contraction. "Here we go, Steph. Take a big deep breath in…Good…it's almost over now…I can see it ending…breathe out and take one more big breath in…now out…there, it's over…great job Honey."

Gabby walked in near the end of the contraction. "It seems my timing is perfect. That was a good, strong contraction, Stephanie, so I'm going to check you again and see how you're coming along after that, OK?" Steph nodded weakly. "You're almost there," the nurse encouraged a couple minutes later. You're between 8 and 9 centimeters now, so you are making progress. I'm going to go find your doctor now. You're coming to the end, Hon," she said brightly, "so you just hang in there and rest now. Should be a few minutes before another contraction comes."

Gabby scurried from the room. Steph waited until she was completely out the door before turning to Joe and grumbling, "She's _way _too perky."

Joe sat down next to her, slowly rubbing his hands over her swollen belly. "Want me to have her arrested?" he teased. Steph managed a laugh, temporarily relaxed by Joe's tender ministrations, and assured Joe that wouldn't be necessary. It was nice to be able to laugh, though, and again Steph relished having Joe back beside her. A few minutes later perky Gabby returned, as promised, with Steph's doctor in tow. He examined Steph, and when he was through every feature on his face reflected the deep concern he had for Steph and the baby.

"Stephanie, we're going to have to speed up your labor. At this point, I'm worried the baby will go into distress if we don't get her out soon."

Steph gripped Joe's hand the moment she heard the word distress. Joe's demeanor became stoic, but Steph sensed he was just as concerned as she was by the stiffness in his arms.

"What can you do?" Joe asked the doctor.

"I'm going to break Stephanie's water. That will bring on stronger, faster contractions," the doctor responded to Joe. Steph was barely paying any attention to what the doctor was saying, her mind stuck on the horrible possibilities of what could go wrong with Carrissa. She knew she had to stay focused, but she was helpless to control her fear and anxiety. "Stephanie," the sound of her name, spoken by the doctor in a commanding tone, brought her attention back to the moment, "I want to prepare you that the strength of the contractions are going to intensify considerably as soon as I break your water. The abrupt increase isn't going to be easy for you, but the stronger contractions will serve to dilate your cervix faster so you can begin pushing the baby out so it's necessary. Do you understand?" At the time, Steph thought she had. Unfortunately, there was simply no way Steph could have imagined what was in store for her. She told her doctor she understood, before quickly turning toward Joe, her eyes filled with apprehension. Joe locked his gaze with hers, telegraphing his support. They were in this together. At her verbal assent, the doctor addressed the room at large. "If everyone who isn't staying for the birth could excuse us, we're going to proceed now."

Joe and Steph wanted the actual birth of the baby to be a private moment with just the two of them, so Val and Helen hugged Steph and told her they'd be back to see her after the birth, then left quickly before their own worry became evident to Steph. Steph's water broke easily enough, with no pain or discomfort. But the contraction that followed afterward came sooner than Steph had expected it and was so unpredictably excruciating, Steph became paralyzed with the pain. She forgot how to breathe or how to focus her mind anywhere but on the unbearable force of the pain that held her body in its grip. Odd how none of the contractions that came before prepared her for the one she was experiencing at that moment. It was as if breaking her water had flipped a switch that took her from zero to sixty in one second flat and making the adjustment was impossible for her. Joe tried to calm her, murmuring soothing words into her ear in his soft, husky voice, but Steph was beyond the capability of listening or of being soothed, as she thrashed her head wildly from side to side. And as the labor continued, as her body constricted painfully with each massive contraction, Steph simply clung helplessly to Joe's hand. Joe had to grit his teeth so as not to shout out his own distress at seeing Steph's agony.

At last, although it sounded as if the words were coming from a great distance away, Steph heard her doctor tell her she was fully dilated. Had they checked her again? She guessed so. She had lost awareness of everything beyond the pain. The contractions were coming hard and fast now, one after another with little time between. However, the current contraction brought with it an incredible pressure that felt different than the previous ones that had merely been painful.

"I need to push," Steph shouted.

"That's OK, Stephanie. It's time," Steph's doctor responded.

During each contraction, Steph held Joe's hand in a vise-like grip. With his free arm, Joe supported Steph's shoulders and counted her down through every grueling push. After 45 minutes, Steph's strength had been depleted and her pushing was becoming less productive.

"Stephanie, I'm going to need for you to release Joe's hand, and grip both of your knees. You need to increase the leverage in order to get the baby moving again."

Steph shook her head in violent denial. "I can't do this anymore. I'm done. The baby can just stay in there for all I care."

Steph felt Joe lean in close, lending her the strength of his body as support, while he spoke softly to her. "Steph, Sweetheart, I don't think that's an option. You need to do what the doctor says, OK?" Steph shook her head, unwilling to listen. They didn't understand. Maybe if she could just rest for a while. But right now she was so tired she couldn't possibly hold her knees, or push one more time, or fulfill any of these people's unreasonable demands.

"Come on, Steph. I know you can do it. Carrissa wants to see you. She needs you to do this." This time, Joe's tone had taken on a sharp edge, piercing through her exhaustion and compelling her to listen, but still Steph wasn't sure she could do what Joe asked.

"I can't Joe. I'm sorry. I'm too tired."

Joe smoothed the hair away from Steph's temple. "I know you're doing all the work, and I just get to sit here looking good, but this is the most amazing, miraculous thing I've ever seen in my life, so thank you."

Steph considered Joe for a brief moment, captivated by his humble gratitude. Joe had been there for her, had given her the greatest gift, but he was thanking her. It was staggering. For Joe, and for Carrissa, Steph reached deep down into her soul and found the strength. Steph's lips curved into the best smile she could manage at the momen, as she struggled to give Joe a sign that she was back in fighting form. "You do look good, damn you" she grouched, then gasped when the next contraction hit. Immediately, her face twisted into a grimace but from the corner of her eye she saw Joe's hapless grin.

The doctor took command again. "Mr. Morelli, I want you to help Stephanie push. Hold onto her ankle and push back on her leg as she pushes. Let's see if we can't get some progress with this next contraction."

Joe placed Steph's hands on her knees for her, before grabbing her ankle himself and when Steph heard the doctor yell at her to push, she called on her newfound strength and pushed with everything she had left inside her.

"I can see her hair," the doctor announced. "That was excellent, Stephanie. Very good. A few more like that and you'll have yourself a baby girl. Now, just take a minute and rest before the next contraction."

The next contraction came too quickly, and Steph emitted an agonized scream as she bore down with all her might.

This time when the pressure blessedly eased, she heard the excited shouts of Joe and her doctor combined, letting her know that the baby's head was out. Steph fell back against the pillows and fought to catch her breath as the doctor quickly suctioned out the baby's mouth and nose.

The next contraction brought with it the birth of their daughter, as one slippery, angry Carrissa Morelli slid out into the waiting hands of the doctor. For a few brief seconds she was layed on Steph's stomach for Steph to see and touch. The doctor handed Joe a pair of scissors and allowed him to cut the cord. But all too quickly, Carrissa was whisked away by Gabby and taken to the other side of the room to be cleaned and warmed. Every protective and possessive instinct that was inborn to Joe's Italian genes came roaring to the surface. As Steph's doctor took care of her, Joe ran to look after his daughter. He stood stonily, watching the squalling infant strongly protest the grossly unjust acts being committed on her, such as having her weight and length taken, her footprints documented, and the granddaddy of all injustices, having drops dribbled into her eyes. All of which produced a flurry of flailing arms and legs accompanying the crying, which broke Joe's heart. Just when Joe was positive he couldn't bear the sight of Carrissa's torment any longer, Gabby lifted her up and placed her in a blanket, folding it around Carrissa more competently than Joe could ever imagine being able to do. The minute Gabby placed Carrissa in Joe's arms, the baby heaved what seemed to Joe a gigantic sigh then instantly quieted. Joe crooned a soft greeting to her and Carrissa turned her eyes toward Joe's face, immediately responding to the voice she had loved so much while in the womb.

Joe had spent the last several months anticipating this moment and he thought he was prepared. On the contrary, looking down at the new life in his hands, he didn't think anything could have prepared him for the punch in the chest he experienced holding his daughter for the first time. Joe looked dazedly upon her angelic face. Everything else around him shrunk away until all that remained was he and his daughter, Joe's eyes riveted to her tiny features. She had his coloring and a crown of downy soft hair the same color as his, but she had her mother's eyes and the same delicate mouth. As he studied her, she continued to stare back at him just as intently.

"You're so beautiful," Joe said in a ragged voice.

Overwhelmed with joy and pride, Joe finally managed to tear his gaze from the infant whose eyes so resembled her mother's, but which had finally closed, and noticed that the doctor had just finished up with Steph. With the baby tucked up against his chest, he slowly made his way to Steph's side and with infinite care, transferred Carrissa to her mother's waiting arms for the second time since she'd been born.

"Just look at her, Steph," Joe breathed, "she's absolutely beautiful. Just like you." A reverent tone of awe laced his voice as he spoke. Through bleary, tear-filled eyes, Steph gazed at the rosy-cheeked infant that was such a perfect blend of Joe and her, and fell in love. Then she looked up at Joe and saw a suspicious gleam in his eyes he wasn't even trying to hide and she fell even more in love with him.

It was a perfect moment, a perfect life, a perfect fit.


	12. Chapter 11

**Ch.** **11**

While Steph and Carrissa were transferred from the labor/delivery room to their private room, Joe nearly sprinted to the waiting room to share his good fortune with the assembled family members, filled with a unique feeling of happiness he had never before experienced in his life. Joe's siblings, as well as Frank and Grandma Mazur, had joined Angie, Bella, Helen and Val and when Joe announced the birth of Carrissa Isabelle Morelli, a healthy 7 pound 6 ounce baby girl, a resounding cheer sounded which Joe quickly quieted. With a teasing glint in his eyes and a wide grin, he explained that he wasn't about to leave his wife and daughter to go bailing everyone out on a disturbing the peace charge. After assuring the family that mother and baby were doing great, and promising that everyone would have a chance to see them both just as soon as they were settled in their room, he left to see how they were coming along with that.

When Joe entered the room, the nurse had just finished assisting Steph into the bed. Carrissa, now asleep after the ordeal of her birth, lay in a bassinet nearby. Joe peeked down at her, assured himself that she was alright then retrieved a robe for Steph from her bag. After helping Steph on with the robe, he was required to wait (somewhat) patiently while she fussed with her hair and make-up. There might have been some pacing and muttering under the breath about Steph's crazy thinking that she needed to worry about her appearance, which was subsequently followed by Steph's irritated observation that Joe must have lost his mind, since no self-respecting Jersey girl would allow herself to be seen looking like she'd just given birth.

Joe could hear the excited, and clearly impatient, mob now gathered right outside the room and finally managed to convince Steph that she looked magnificent and it was either let the family come in now or risk a mutiny. Steph, who could also hear the growing noise outside the room, knew that Joe was right. With a final touch-up in her hand mirror, Steph told Joe she was ready. After gaining Steph's go-ahead to let their families in, Joe brought the sleeping baby to her to hold. So exhausted from her arduous journey earlier that day, Carrissa neither stirred nor made a sound when Joe lifted her up. But when he laid the baby in Steph's arms, she instinctively curled into Steph's body before extending one tiny arm out and gripping Steph's gown in her tiny fist. The way she automatically sought out her mother's familiarity touched a chord deep inside Joe, as there had been a time in his life when he didn't think love like that would ever be an integral part of his world. With a strut in his step, he went to open the door.

It was a loud, boisterous crowd that gathered around Steph's bedside, clamoring to get a good look at the newest member of the Plum/Morelli clans. Steph shifted the sleeping baby to afford everyone a better view, and at once a collective sigh filled the air. Steph beamed and virtually glowed with pride as everybody took a turn looking down at the precious infant and expounding on her beauty. It was during this time that Steph caught sight of Bella standing solemnly on the fringes of the crowd, looking unsure of herself for the first time since Steph had known her. Steph knew how much this baby, in particular, meant to Bella and the same impulse that had led to her taking hold of Bella's hand to feel the baby kick, struck her again.

"Bella, would you like to be the first to hold Carrissa?" Steph asked softly.

"That would be nice," Bella said in a brusque tone, but her starchy demeanor no longer fooled Steph, not since she had seen beneath it. And Joe had already told her how Bella had helped him immeasurably when he'd gone for a walk during her labor. There was a soft spot in Bella after all.

With a warm smile that communicated a silent thank you, Joe took Carrissa from Steph's arms and transferred her to Bella's. Bella became instantly enamored with the infant, much as she had with Joe when he'd been born. Bella studied Carrissa for a long while, rocking her in her arms, believing she had never seen anything quite so perfect. When at last she shifted her gaze to Stephanie, the two women exchanged a private smile, two generations of Morelli women, one by blood the other by marriage, united by a third generation. The seeds of understanding between them that had been planted at the Morelli party a few weeks before, now blossomed and took root.

The celebration of Carrissa's birth lasted for quite some time. In due course, Carrissa was passed around to all the excited grandparents, aunts and uncles. Eventually, however, the nurse returned to take care of her patients.

"I hate to break this up," the nurse announced briskly, "but it's time to check mom and baby and make sure everything's alright with them, and afterward Mom needs her rest."

_Mom. She was a mom,_ Steph thought, laughing to herself. She loved hearing the nurse refer to her that way, and she practically floated through her good-bye's to her family. Carrissa was returned to Joe so Steph could be the recipient of well-wishing hugs and kisses from the group, and in the front of that line was Bella. It was a gloriously happy time in Stephanie's life.

After the group had gone, the nurse advised Steph that her name was Christina and that she'd be replacing Gabby. "Are you in any pain right now?" Christina asked.

Steph shook her head. "Just a little uncomfortable sitting, that's all," she said with a laugh.

"That's to be expected," Christina answered with a smile. "I'll take a look at you just to make sure there's nothing wrong and then if you want I can order some pain medication for you."

When Christina finished with Steph, she moved to take Carrissa from Joe's arms. "I'm going to take the baby to the nursery now for some tests. It shouldn't take too long."

Steph was powerless to prevent the crestfallen look that appeared on her face. Carrissa had been a part of her 24/7 for the last nine months, and now she felt a strange sense of emptiness at the idea of Carrissa leaving her sight. Christina easily recognized the expression on Steph's face and knew exactly how Steph was feeling, having seen that same look on hundreds of other mother's faces. Since it was necessary for the baby to go to the nursery, short of reassuring the new mother, there wasn't anything she could really do. She just hoped the father wouldn't prove to be a problem as well, since he looked like he could be fierce if provoked.

With a broad smile, Christina said, "She'll be fine, Mrs. Morelli. These are just routine tests and she'll be in very good hands. As soon as we're done, I'll bring her right back to you."

Steph tried to return Christina's smile and surely made a muck of it. "Sure, of course," Steph answered, struggling to keep the doubt out of her voice. But as soon as Christina had placed Carrissa back in her bassinet and wheeled her down the hall, Steph turned to Joe and hissed, "Follow them."

Joe looked pained. He hadn't been overjoyed when Christina took Carrissa either, but the idea of stalking a professional nurse seemed a bit extreme and, admittedly, he was a tad unnerved by the idea.

"I'm not sure stalking Christina is appropriate, Sweetheart," Joe said apologetically. "She is just doing her job."

Steph bristled at Joe's choice of words—and his refusal . "Cops don't stalk-- they pursue, remember? And it's not like you have to let her see you! You're a cop, for pete's sake, obviously you can tail someone without their knowledge. _So_, go pursue her. _Hurry!_"

Wise enough not to argue with a distraught, post-partum woman, Joe reluctantly left to do his wife's bidding, dragging his feet to give Steph time to find her senses, which she never managed to do. As he walked down the hall toward the nursery, he could hear the fierce cries of Carrissa putting up quite a fuss for the nurses. Already she was showing signs of having Steph's temperament, Joe thought good-humoredly, even as he closed his eyes briefly against the pitiful wails of his newborn daughter, most likely a sound that would always break his heart. He continued on to the nursery and when he had verified through the window that Carrissa was indeed being administered routine tests and not being tortured, as her cries would indicate, he returned to Steph. Joe was positive Steph didn't need to know about Carrissa's histrionics, which really had been more a display of temper than pain, lest Steph add kidnapping as well as stalking onto his list of duties as a new father. Therefore, his report upon his return was that Carrissa was doing fine and being a perfect angel for the nurses.

Several minutes afterward, Christina returned with Carrissa. Although quiet now, the baby's eyes were watery and her cheeks were beet red, indicating her earlier distress. Steph took one look at Carrissa and shot Joe a fierce scowl for lying to her. Joe smiled sheepishly in response after which he was saved from any further scathing reprisal when Christina advised Steph she should feed Carrissa right then to help calm Carrissa down, as well as to bring in Steph's milk supply. Aside from a few brief moments in the delivery room after Joe had brought Carrissa to her, this was the first time Steph was feeding Carrissa so she still felt awkward with the task. Christina helped Steph position Carrissa correctly and showed her the proper latching technique, then stayed throughout the feeding, helping Steph to detach the baby from the breast when she was finished eating. After bringing Steph some pain medication, she placed the now sleeping baby back in her bassinet and gave Steph strict instructions to rest while Carrissa slept so her body could start the healing process. Joe assured Christina he would see to it that she did.

Steph wasn't sure how much rest she actually got throughout the rest of the day. Besides the fact that she was pumped full of adrenaline from the excitement of Carrissa's birth, a steady stream of nurses routinely came in to check on her and Carrissa. Temperature, blood pressure, pain level. It was enough to make Steph want to shout that her only pain was the nurses themselves, despite the fact that that wasn't completely the truth. Still, by the end of the evening she was exhausted and after Carrissa completed another feeding, Steph hoped for at least a few hours of uninterrupted sleep.

At the sound of the piercing wail, Joe roused from his light doze and immediately rushed over to Carrissa's bassinet, picking her up without delay. Bouncing her gently as he walked around, Joe whispered soothing noises into her ear. When at last she quieted somewhat, he laid her back in the bassinet to check her diaper. Christina had advised them to keep a close watch for sufficiently wet diapers to ensure the baby was getting enough to eat. Satisfied that all was well on that front, he put a fresh diaper on. When Carrissa turned her head to the side with her tiny mouth wide open, Joe knew she meant to have her mommy wake up ASAP. Happy that he had at least been able to gain Steph a few extra minutes of sleep, Joe's chest was puffed up with pride as he brought Steph a calm—and dry—baby.

Steph had wakened the second she'd heard Carrissa crying. She gave a brief thought to how quickly she had learned to respond to the distress signal and how long it might be before she could go through a whole night without waking up just to make sure everything was OK. At least this time everything was just perfect, Steph thought, cherishing the sight of Joe, once known only for his fast ways with women and barroom brawls, cradling his own daughter so tenderly as he rocked her. When Joe walked over to Steph's bedside at last, after changing Carrissa's diaper, he found Steph already awake and watching him with the sweetest smile upon her face. Self-consciously, Joe realized that his sly little wife had been watching him for quite some time. But he was so enchanted by the smile on her face, that he spontaneouly smiled back right before he kissed the smile right off her sweet lips. When Carrissa started fidgeting, he guiltily recalled his original intent, and placed Carrissa in Steph's arms for her feeding.

Joe reached behind Steph and untied the neck of her gown. As he lowered one side of it to expose Steph's breast for Carrissa, the back of his hand lightly skimmed her soft skin. A slight shiver coursed through Steph as Joe snuggled himself up next to her on the bed. There had been some discomfiture for her earlier nursing Carrissa in front of Christina, but performing the intimate act under Joe's intense gaze felt natural and very right. Steph lifted Carrissa to her breast, but the baby, still new to this, shook her head from side to side, seeking but still unsure of exactly how to get what she was looking for. Steph gently led her breast to the baby's mouth, tickling the baby's lips with the nipple, and Carrissa clamped down instinctively. As a warm, tingling sensation flowed through her breast, and as Carrissa gazed intently into her eyes, trusting her, Steph felt a special sense of triumph knowing she was successfully nourishing her hungry baby.

Joe also felt awed by the notion of Steph feeding their child, and reveled in this occasion to watch the special closeness. He hadn't thought he could love Steph any more than he already did, yet he felt his heart expanding even now as he watched her feeding Carrissa. He lovingly kissed Steph's cheek as he gently caressed the baby's downy cheek with his finger. Steph sensed what Joe was feeling and leaned into Joe's body, laying her head on his shoulder. Sharing this moment as a family meant everything to her. Joe had given Steph this beautiful gift in her arms, and had helped her bring the gift into this world so extraordinarily well it brought tears to her eyes just thinking about it. This tiny miracle who was such a grand symbol of the love between her and Joe was an absolute wonder to her. Carrissa was so small, so beautiful tucked up against her breast, Steph wanted to keep her there forever just looking at her.

Steph began recalling the doubts she had harbored at the onset of her pregnancy. She remembered vividly the late night conversation with Ranger on the night she discovered she was pregnant, when she had first expressed those doubts aloud. It was hard to believe now that she was that same person. Yet she wasn't. Not really. The ensuing months and the birth of Carrissa earlier that day changed something inside her forever. Before Carrissa's birth, she couldn't have known the bond that would be cemented between mother and daughter the moment she first held her daughter and looked into her eyes. She couldn't have known that such a tiny being could affect her life so much, but in such a short time, her dreams and priorities had shifted to Carrissa. Carrissa made Steph feel a part of something larger than herself. She was important to someone who truly needed her, for love and comfort and every basic need, and that humbled her more than she ever thought possible. Looking at her daughter now, her petite fingers kneading her breast as she ate, it all became so clear to Steph. Carrissa was hers, and she would do anything for her. Her love for her daughter was so powerful, she would give anything to her, do anything for her, make any sacrifice. She would strive every day to be the best mother she could be. Indeed, such an immense amount of love welled up inside her every time she held her baby there was no room left for doubts.

One thing she had never doubted, though, was that she had gifted her child with the best father a child could ask for. If she hadn't already known that, seeing them together when Carrissa first woke up would've been all the proof she needed. And if she had one desire for Joe, it was that Carrissa would help Joe find some closure and some peace with his childhood past, righting the wrongs of his father with his own child. She envisioned Joe on walks with Carrissa and Bob, comforting her through illness and bad dreams. She envisioned Joe interrogating Carrissa's first date before he allowed him to take her out, then waiting up for them at the end of the night. Yes, Joe was going to be a wonderful father. Gentle and loving and kind and Carrissa was going to love him very much. He deserved that and more.

Although Carrissa still held the nipple in her mouth, her lips moving on it reflexively, Steph now recognized the difference in the tug and pull motion of the suckling that was indicative of Carrissa eating and knew she had stopped eating and fallen asleep. Joe, too, could tell that Carrissa had stopped eating from the absence of the loud slurping noises that always accompanied her enthusiastic feedings. Steph yawned then, reminding Joe of his promise to Christina that he would make sure Steph rested when the baby did.

"Why don't you let me put Carrissa back in her bassinet, Steph, so you can get some sleep too."

"I'm OK right now, Joe. I just really want to look at her some more. Just a few more minutes. I swear I feel like I could look into her eyes for hours."

Joe gave a slight tilt of his head in understanding and smiled warmly. "But her eyes aren't even open, Sweetheart."

"Minor technicality," Steph responded with a wry smile. "Hey! Did you notice she had my eyes?" Steph asked, her own eyes bright with wonderment.

"Of course I did," Joe agreed firmly.

"She has your complexion, though, which means she's going to look great in pink," Steph said with a cheeky grin, jokingly referring to the night Joe wore a pink shirt to their party and got razzed by Mooch, "_You_ sure did."

"Secure in my masculinity, I will accept that compliment in the spirit in which I'm sure it was intended, so thank you."

Steph laughed softly, while gazing back down at the face of her angel. "She is beautiful, isn't she Joe?"

"Prettiest child I've ever seen in my entire life, no doubt about it," he whispered reverently.

As she and Joe talked, Steph had been stroking Carrissa's delicate fingers with her own, lulling herself into the same contented state as her daughter. Soon, it was all she could do to keep her eyes open, which didn't escape her husband's notice.

"Alright, sleepy head. Now you can't keep your eyes open either. I'm afraid I'm going to have to insist you get some sleep now."

Before Steph could issue a protest, Joe took his finger and slipped it inside the baby's mouth, gently breaking the suction exactly the way he'd seen Christina do it. He carried Carrissa over to the bassinet and laid her down, taking a minute to once again reflect on the miracle he'd been given. He believed Carrissa's birth to be the culmination of his struggle to be a better man. He felt as if he'd finally made it and he was going to do his daughter proud.

A few moments later, Joe was back at Steph's bedside and found her with her head turned sideways on the pillow and her eyes already closed. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head and she smiled sleepily, halfway to slumber. "Sleep well, honey," Joe murmured. "I'll be right next to you in the chair."

"Carrissa?" Steph mumbled.

"Is sleeping soundly. I'll bring her back to you for another feeding when she wakes up again. In the meantime, you worked hard today, so rest!"

"I will. I suppose I should try to get all the rest I can before we go home tomorrow."

Steph snuck a sideways glance at Joe. She had hoped that by sneaking her intentions to go home into conversation, especially with both of them half asleep, Joe would have less time to prepare a rebuttal and therefore be less likely to argue with her about it. She was, of course, mistaken. Where her well-being was concerned, Joe always had time to argue.

"I'm not sure that's a good idea, Steph. We have two nights here and I think we should take advantage of them. I don't want you rushing things and hurting yourself."

Opening her eyes, she looked straight at Joe. "_I'm_ sure. I've really been thinking about this and as long as Carrissa checks out tomorrow morning I want to take her home." The worried look on Joe's face caused Steph to soften her tone. "I'll be fine," Steph continued, taking Joe's hand. "I'm made of tough stuff, remember?" Joe acquiesced with a slight nod, so Steph forged ahead with more of her case. "I just can't wait to be a family with you and Carrissa, Joe. And quite frankly, the nurses here are starting to drive me a little crazy with all their prodding and examinations. More people have seen me naked in the last day than in my whole life put together. And last but not least, the food. Did you see what I was given to eat for dinner tonight?" Steph gave a dramatic shudder to emphasize her point.

Joe gave a bark of laughter and realized Steph _would_ be all right going home. All the evidence pointed to the fact that Steph's fighting spirit was back in fine form. Besides, he'd take good care of her and make sure nothing bad happened to her. He already had so many plans to spoil her rotten. Joe was a little dismayed to realize that once again he had given in all too easily to one of his wife's requests. He didn't really want to make a habit of that. What fun would life be without his and Steph's little sparring matches? Nevertheless, arguing this time around would be pointless since he also couldn't wait to be home with his girls.

"Alright Steph. Get some sleep. We're going home tomorrow."

The next morning, Joe and Steph received visits from both her doctor, as well as the pediatrician they had chosen for Carrissa. When both mother and daughter obtained clean bills of health from their doctors, Joe left to arrange for their release from the hospital. After a couple stops on the way back, Joe returned with a large bouquet of yellow roses in one hand and a tiny gift bag in the other. Steph nearly squealed with glee when she saw the roses. Joe never forgot that yellow roses were her favorite.

"They're beautiful, Joe. I love them."

Joe wore a knowing smile as he put the flowers down beside Steph's bed. He waited for Steph to finish breathing in their fragrant bouquet before leaning in for a soft morning kiss, attempting to hide the small gift bag behind his back as he did so. Steph wasn't letting him get away with trying to surprise her. After the roses, she was anxious to see what else Joe had up his sleeve--or behind his back in this case. Pulling her lips away from his, she raised her eyebrows and looked up at him.

"What's in the bag, Joe?"

"Greedy, greedy, greedy," Joe admonished with a wide grin.

"Uh-uh. You're not getting away with distracting me with your flowery words," Steph teased. "I want to know what's in the bag."

Sore beyond belief from the birth the day before, lunging for the bag was absolutely out of the question, so Steph was forced to sit patiently while Joe feigned deep contemplation over whether or not he'd give up the bag to her. Finally, albeit at a snail's pace, Joe handed Steph the bag. Before releasing it completely from his clutches, Joe explained, "I know you already packed an outfit for Carrissa to wear home, but I saw this in the gift shop and I couldn't resist."

Steph slanted Joe a sideways look, then with more speed than Joe had employed handing her the bag, she opened it and pulled out a tiny pink onesie, unfolding it to reveal the words "Daddy's Little Cupcake" printed below a design of three tiny, decorated Cupcakes.

Steph looked up, tears swimming in her eyes. "Oh man, Joe. It's perfect. And you're perfect and I love you. And I want to go home with you and our perfect daughter as soon as possible." Steph was openly crying now, so she stopped to take a deep breath and collect her thoughts. Looking back at Joe, she said, "Why don't you do the honor of dressing Carrissa in this adorable outfit chosen specially for her by her wonderful Daddy, and I can get dressed while you're doing that."

"I have a better idea," Joe answered with a smile, wiping a tear from Steph's cheek. Steph rolled her eyes and laughed to herself. Sometimes she thought Joe disagreed with her just for the sake of disagreeing. Joe smiled at Steph's telling reaction to his statement, and continued. "How about you sit and relax while I put this on Carrissa, then I can help _you_ get dressed, and THEN we can take our daughter home."

So much for disagreeing just to disagree, Steph thought happily. Returning Joe's smile, Steph gushed, "You're spoiling me Joe."

"You better believe it, Cupcake."


	13. Chapter 12

**Ch.** **12**

Steph had to wonder if they would _ever_ get home. As fast as Joe had driven to the hospital, that was as slow as he was driving on the return trip home. If he didn't get used to having Carrissa in the car soon, they'd be living an hour away from everyone they knew despite their close physical proximity to them. Just as Steph was reaching the point where she was prepared to lean over and press her own foot to the gas pedal, they finally reached the house. Carrissa had been sleeping since they left the hospital, and had had no problems staying that way during the catatonic-inducing car ride. With her asleep, Joe assisted Steph out of the car first, then unbuckled Carrissa from her car seat and handed her to Steph. Their plan for getting into the house was for Joe to go in first and intercept Bob, then for Steph to bring Carrissa in and introduce Bob to her while Steph held her. Joe braced himself as he always did when he opened the door, but when it swung open Bob was a no-show. Seconds after that shock registered came the realization that the house was filled with flowers, balloons, streamers and a banner that read "Welcome Home Carrissa." A smile erupted on Joe's face.

"Come on in, the coast is clear," Joe said, turning to help Steph up the steps. "It seems our family is picking up your old habit of B & E, and got in here to take care of Bob for us. And it seems they did a little interior decorating while they were at it." Joe stepped aside so Steph could bring Carrissa into the house and share in the surprise. Steph stepped cautiously around Joe and laughed as she looked around at the extravagant display. A moment later, Joe found a note propped up on the table by the door. '_Bob's in the bedroom. Fed and walked him this morning, so he should be OK. Didn't want him eating the decorations. Hope you like them. Love, Cathy, Mary and Val.'_

After reading Steph the note, he put it back on the table. "I can't believe we forgot about making provisions for Bob when we raced out of here yesterday. I'm glad our family was more on the ball."

Steph patted Joe's chest. "It's OK, Joe. We were a little preoccupied."

"Yeah," Joe said with a goofy grin. "We were that." Everything in his face went soft as he looked at his little pre-occupation nestled snugly in her blanket, still fast asleep.

Bob could be heard noisily scratching the bedroom door, and Joe and Steph figured there was no time like the present to bring him out and show him the new addition to the family. Joe, of course, had read all about the best way to introduce a new baby to the family dog in the now infamous pregnancy book of his. It had suggested giving the dog something to smell that carried the baby's scent, getting the dog familiarized with it and minimizing feelings of jealousy. Joe wasn't really worried about any unexpected aggression from Bob that might be triggered by possible jealousy; Bob was too friendly and goofy for that. No, Joe's main concern was teaching Bob that Carrissa wasn't to be eaten. Deftly, Joe unwound the blanket wrapped around Carrissa, the same blanket she'd used during her stay at the hospital. Joe carried the blanket to the bedroom and disappeared inside. Bob immediately started dancing around Joe, leaping up to get a hold of the blanket. Joe held it out for him and after several minutes of Bob burying his nose inside of it, Joe felt he was ready to go out to the living room. He swung his arm around the dog's neck and, standing thigh-to-side with him, escorted him out. Bob strutted over to Carrissa and sniffed her hesitantly, placing an exuberant Bob kiss on her face a mere second later. Being that her face was still so tiny, he was able to cover a lot of ground with just one stroke. Upon ending the kiss he gave a resounding bark which sounded a lot like a hip-hooray to Joe and Steph's ears, and promptly woke Carrissa. There was just no way to sleep through a Bob slobber-and-cheer attack. To her credit, despite the rude way in which she'd been awakened, Carrissa simply opened her eyes and stared Bob down, but shed no tears. Joe and Steph were sure they had the best baby in the entire world.

"As long as Carrissa is awake now, I think we should show her around her new digs," Steph said, her voice laden with excitement.

Joe's eyebrows creased. "Don't you think you should sit and rest now?"

Steph had wondered how long it would take Joe to go there again. It had been a whole 20 minutes, after all, since he'd fussed over her. "I'm fine, Joe."

"You're not sore?"

Steph's mouth twisted. "Alright, I guess I'm a little sore, but I still really want to show Carrissa around." Steph batted her eyelashes, hoping to sway Joe. Transparent, but if it worked...

"Pathetic," Joe said, as he shook his head. "Come on. We'll take our tour but then you're going to sit down. And I mean it," Joe added, in a feigned stern voice.

Steph flashed him a bright smile. She was utterly charmed by Joe's ongoing conflict between his protectiveness and desire to give her what she wished. Joe took Steph's arm and together they walked Carrissa around the house they had turned into a home together. Now, Carrissa's presence brought an extra special addition of love. And nowhere more so than in her own bedroom, which Joe and Steph had saved for last. It had taken some strenuous arguing between them that Steph would be OK to climb the stairs, but it was so important to Steph for Carrissa to see her father's labor of love even if she wouldn't be staying in there for a while yet, and even if she couldn't really focus on or understand what she was seeing.

"Carrissa, welcome to your special princess hideaway," Steph whispered softly, with much the same sort of awe Mary Lou had used when she had first seen Joe's bedroom.

Steph caught Joe's self-possessed stance out of the corner of her eye and smiled to herself. He was so proud of the room he alone had created for his daughter, borne of his desire for her to have only the best. They spent a lengthy amount of time in that room, but when both Carrissa and Steph started showing signs of fatigue, they went back downstairs where Joe placed Carrissa in her portable bassinet before settling Steph on the couch. The rest of that day was spent idyllically. Every moment Carrissa was awake, Joe and Steph spent with her, admiring her, talking to her, and getting to know her. And every moment when Carrissa was asleep, they snuggled together on the couch talking about her and making plans as they envisioned their future. Steph, in fact, rarely left the couch at all except to use the bathroom. Joe brought all her meals to her, fielded the phone calls and the door when visitors stopped by, brought Carrissa to her when it was time for her feedings and changed her every diaper with amazing finesse. Fatherhood was, undoubtedly, very sexy on him. As expected, Angie and Bella stopped by with casseroles and cake, as did Helen. Steph and Joe had enough to eat for weeks, not to mention the most perfect baby two parents could ask for.

When night fell, however, their perfect child morphed into something else entirely. Shortly after her dinner meal, Carrissa started crying and she didn't stop for even a second for the rest of the night. Joe and Steph tried everything they could think of to get her to stop. They walked, they bounced, they sang, they burped, they rocked. Nothing worked. Carrissa had been a perfect angel the night she spent in the hospital, so Steph and Joe were beside themselves trying to figure out why the change. It just stood to reason that once they got her home she'd throw them a curve ball. "Welcome to parenthood," Joe and Steph agreed wryly on one of their numerous passes around the house in an attempt to quiet Carrissa. In the early morning hours, she finally burned herself out and fell asleep. Steph and Joe wasted no time collapsing into bed themselves, catching a couple hours of sleep before Carrissa was back awake and demanding her breakfast. She went back to sleep as soon as she had finished eating, and Steph and Joe spent the rest of that day much as the previous one had been, with the exception being that Steph took a nap during one of Carrissa's naptimes, just in case Carrissa went for round two of crying-all-night come nighttime. They approached that evening with fingers crossed, and were deeply grateful when night fell and Carrissa did not repeat her prior night's hysteria. Perhaps it had just been a delayed response to the change in her surroundings and the introduction to so much new stimuli that had her overwhelmed and unable to relax, but whatever it had been, tonight Carrissa was perfectly content without a tear in sight. When Carrissa fell asleep around ten that evening, Joe insisted Steph go to bed as well and get some rest. Joe, used to functioning on little sleep, was managing fine. He was going on pure adrenaline brought on by the emotions of the last few days. Steph, on the other hand, was visibly wearing down and Joe worried about her. She needed her rest to help her recover from the strain of giving birth.

Joe took himself to bed around midnight, after straightening up the house and checking in at the station. He didn't have any open cases at the moment, but he still liked keeping his finger on the pulse of what was happening. Despite the fatigue now pulling at his body, Joe couldn't rest his mind long enough to fall asleep. He was still wrestling with so many emotions brought on by the last few days. He'd never thought he'd be this happy, or experience as much love as he had in his life now. And he knew the responsibility of caring for Carrissa and raising her right. He was looking so forward to it. Awake with his myriad of thoughts, Joe heard Carrissa rustling around in her bassinet before she actually voiced the fact that she was awake. Joe still wasn't sure what had happened the night before to cause Carrissa's crying jag, but she was certainly being such a good baby now. Joe looked over at Steph, who wasn't having the same problems sleeping as he was, and decided to let her sleep. She needed it, and hell, she deserved it. He quickly hopped out of bed and picked Carrissa up before she started to cry. He carried her down the hall into her own room, where all the diaper changing supplies were kept, and laid her on the changing table. When Carrissa was clean, dry, and tucked back into her tiny sleeper, Joe lifted her back into his arms and took her downstairs to the kitchen.

Since coming home from the hospital, whenever Carrissa was done with a feeding, Steph had been pumping the excess milk to be used in the event of an emergency. With Carrissa cradled in the crook of one arm, Joe used his free arm to retrieve some of that breast milk from the freezer and prepare a bottle. It was amazing how quickly he had adapted to doing things one-handed. He'd had to, really, since he never wanted to put Carrissa down for anything. If he had a choice, he'd carry her around until she was a teenager. Carrissa became more fidgety as the bottle warmed, so as soon as it was ready Joe wasted no time settling them on the couch together. He was a little apprehensive about giving her a bottle for the first time, but with the way Carrissa had kept them up all night the night before, Joe figured this was one of those times where he could do just as well as Steph so she could catch up on her sleep. Little did he know that Carrissa would not agree with his assessment. She was patently refusing to have anything to do with the plastic and rubber replacement of her Mommy.

"Come on, little angel," Joe pleaded. "Take the bottle for me. I know I'm not your warm, sweet Mommy but maybe I can be almost as good so Mommy can get some sleep. Yeah?"

Carrissa continued to turn her nose at the offending object. Joe grimaced and pressed on with a new tactic. "Do you know how grateful I am to your Mommy for bringing you to me? Do you?" Carrissa stared back with wide open eyes, but otherwise had no response. "Well, it's a lot, I can tell you that," Joe responded to his own question emphatically. "So I will do anything I can for her in return and you can help."

Carrissa moved her head to the side, which Joe took as a denial, when more than likely it was simply Carrissa's way of avoiding the piece of rubber he'd been attempting to lodge in her unwilling mouth. "Yes, you can," Joe responded, not a little desperately. "You can take this bottle for me. Come on! Your Mommy was good to you while you lived in her tummy and forgive me for saying this…but you did give her a mite amount of trouble with the puking and the kicking." Carrissa stopped trying to dodge the bottle nipple and was now staring at Joe with rapt attention. _Ah, the old guilt routine is working_, Joe thought, _that's more like it_. Heck, while he had her attention, there was another matter to discuss. "Which reminds me, Angel. I guess now would be a good time to thank you face to face for that beer you spilled in my lap. That was cold. So you see, you kinda owe me one. So, if you'd just…"

Joe had been doggedly pursuing Carrissa's tiny mouth with the bottle and at the moment she finally surrendered and clamped down on the nipple, Joe shouted, "Yes, that's right. Good girl," before quieting down to savor his triumph and simply enjoy watching Carrissa eat. However, at the loss of his voice, Carrissa immediately stopped eating. Joe smirked when he noticed. He had always loved teasing Steph about how much Carrissa enjoyed and responded to the sound of his voice. And some things never change, apparently. "So, you want me to talk to you, huh? OK, let's talk." So they talked about the Rangers, and how Carrissa was going to be a big fan. They talked about the things Joe enjoyed about his work, like making their world a safer place for Carrissa to be in. And then Joe talked about their crazy families that he couldn't wait for Carrissa to get to know, especially her great Grandma's Bella and Mazur.

He'd discovered since Carrissa's birth that one of his favorite things to do was to rub her downy head. It was so smooth and silky. She didn't have a lot of hair yet, just a fine layer of hair his color yet it still staggered him to look at her and see parts of himself. Every time he noticed something new, it shrouded him in pride. And as he rubbed her head now while she ate, her eyes gazing unwaveringly at him, his mood and his conversation turned more reflective.

"Look at you looking at me with so much trust. You're relying on me to be there for you and I won't let you down. You're my little angel. My reward for turning my life around. You know, there was a time when I wouldn't have deserved you—hard to believe, right?" Joe remarked self-derisively. But I'm so glad that I decided at a certain point in my life to start flying right. That way, now that the right time in my life to be a Dad has come along, I do deserve you. Watching you grow up is going to be the best part of my life, Sweetheart." Joe didn't know what else to say after that. Luckily, the bottle was empty and Carrissa's hunger had been satisfied.

Steph woke up with a vague feeling of uneasiness, the sense that something wasn't right. She felt…rested. That was it. She realized with a jolt that she couldn't recall hearing Carrissa's cry to be fed. In fact, she felt so disoriented she had no idea at all when it was the last time she had fed her. Steph leapt out of bed, running over to the bassinet in search of her daughter. Panic truly set in when she found the bassinet empty. If Steph hadn't been so foggy with sleep, she might have noticed that Joe wasn't in their bed either and been able to deduce the two were together. She might even have thought to try waking him, whereby noticing his absence then. But she was irrational with worry and clearly not thinking straight, so instead she went running downstairs without even knowing what she was looking for. Reaching the bottom of the stairs, she was brought up short by the sight before her. Her first wave of emotion was relief, followed shortly thereafter by a strong squeezing in her chest she could only assume was caused by the strongest love she had ever felt. Then came the pang of resentment that seemed out of place, but was there nonetheless, eclipsing all the other emotions. Joe was lying on the couch, his strong arms wrapped around Carrissa. He was clutching her tightly to his bare chest and they were both sound asleep. An empty bottle lay cold and discarded on the table next to them and Steph quickly surmised that that object was the reason for her resentment. A little over two days into motherhood and she had already failed her daughter, easily replaced by a plastic bottle and a rubber nipple. Irrational anger filled her and she had no defense against it. She stormed over to where Joe was sleeping.

"What's going on here?" Steph loudly demanded.

Joe jerked awake. His mind still fuzzy, he didn't immediately register Steph's angry tone. His first instinct was to look down and make sure Carrissa was alright, still safely tucked in his arms and breathing. Once reassured of that, Joe turned sleepy, confused eyes to Steph. "What's wrong Steph? Why aren't you sleeping?"

"I can't even feed my own child." Steph cried, completely ignoring Joe's second question. How could she sleep when her daughter had needed her and she hadn't been there?

Joe's face softened with understanding. Even in the dim light, Steph could see his sympathetic expression. "Steph, my feeding Carrissa tonight has nothing to do with that. You're doing a wonderful job feeding our daughter. The milk in the bottle I used came from you, right? And you did that in the event that you weren't available for a feeding."

Steph scowled. "Yeah, but I was available. I was asleep upstairs, dammit. The extra milk was in the event I had to leave the house."

"Well, I determined this was a good time to use it. You were exhausted after last night and you needed the rest. You can't let yourself get run down and I was more than happy to get up and spend some time with my daughter. She wasn't thrilled with taking the bottle at first--and as a huge fan of your breasts myself, I don't blame her one bit," Joe said teasingly with a lopsided grin, hoping to get Steph to do the same, "but we worked at it together and she eventually got the drift. She and I did alright, Steph. Carrissa's OK, and you will be too." Joe studied her intently for a long minute. "I'm thinking maybe this upset you're feeling could be due to some mild post-partum depression."

Steph's eyes narrowed. What did Joe know anyhow? He'd been there when Carrissa had needed him. "You are _not _going to quote that damn book at me again, are you? Because I am not depressed," Steph insisted, even as she stood there crying her eyes out.

"OK, Steph. I'm sorry. I don't know what to say here. I just don't want you feeling bad that you let Carrissa down somehow. You don't have to be perfect with Carrissa every moment. You've already perfected the most important thing and that's the love that shines from your eyes every time you look at her. I figure we'll both make some mistakes with our princess here, but I honestly don't think this is one of those times." Joe fell silent then, waiting to see if what he said would make a difference.

Joe's calm demeanor and rational words drifted over Steph and then wrapped around her like a blanket, dousing the flames of her anger and leaving a new understanding in the ashes. Steph suddenly recognized her anger for what it really was. Her insecurities. Although she was already deeply in love with her daughter, and knew she would do anything for her, she supposed a small part of her still feared messing up with Carrissa. Joe, as always, saw right through to the very heart of her and took care of her. First, by letting her sleep, then by addressing and calming her fears even before she, herself, recognized them for what they were, rather than simply reacting to her misplaced anger. Steph had to trust Joe when he said it was going to be alright. That trust had never led her astray before. A slow, serene smile creased Steph's sleepy face and Joe knew he had convinced her she had nothing to be upset about. He returned Steph's smile. Steph glided over to Joe and kissed him sweetly on the lips, then gently kissed Carrissa, who had slept through their whole exchange. Steph returned to her bedroom, leaving Joe and Carrissa to their slumber time together. As she drifted back to sleep, a goofy grin was firmly planted on her face, compliments of her wonderful husband and the sight of him sleeping with his daughter held to his chest.

The next morning, Carrissa once again awoke content, so rather than immediately hand her to Steph, Joe laid Carrissa on the bed next to Steph and climbed back in himself, sandwiching the baby between them. Steph and Joe both propped themselves on their elbows and looked down at the creature that had so totally captivated their hearts and lives in the two short days she'd been here. They took turns kissing her on her satiny cheeks, and being the recipient of her rapt attention as her untrained gaze focused on each one of them in turn. After they had spent a heartwarmingly long while like that, Carrissa finally started making tiny sounds of distress for her breakfast. Steph promptly sat up and put Carrissa to her breast. No longer a novice at this, and happy to have her Mommy back, Carrissa immediately latched on and started slurping noisily. Steph and Joe both laughed and Steph knew she had it all. A perfect husband, a perfect daughter, and a perfect night's sleep.


	14. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

As Bella had predicted, three years after the birth of Carrissa a baby boy by the name of Benino joined the Morelli family.

The four month old baby was the spitting image of his father and very good-natured (which Joe constantly said Ben also inherited from his father along with his looks). Ben was extremely loved by both his parents; but Joe had carved a special place in his heart for Carrissa the day she was born that she would always occupy. She was, without a doubt, a daddy's girl.

Carrissa had her mother's spirit, which meant a penchant for mischief. Although a lot had changed in their lives and Steph had long ago given up bounty hunting, one thing that hadn't changed much was Steph's knack for getting separated from —or in trouble with--her handcuffs, by those whom she was supposed to be in charge of. Carrissa loved emulating her Daddy in a good game of Cops and Robbers, but on more than one occasion she had been able to scam Steph into being ensnared by her own cuffs, which they'd bring out of retirement for their games. Eventually she would let Steph out of the cuffs, when she tired of the game, but she always got a charge out of getting the best of her Mommy.

This was the predicament Steph currently found herself in as the phone rang. Carrissa had been thus far uncooperative about unlocking the cuffs this time around, so Steph had been patiently going along with her, hoping she'd tire out soon. When the phone started ringing, Carrissa helpfully ran to answer it.

"He-wo."

"Hey, Angel. How you doing today?"

"Hi, Daddy!" Carrissa said with childish exuberance. "Me and Mommy are playing."

"Yeah? Whatcha playing, Baby Girl?"

"Cops," Carrissa stated matter-of-factly.

Joe groaned inwardly. He was almost afraid to ask, familiar as he was with the outcome of "Cops" on several previous occasions. Closing his eyes, he answered his daughter. "That sounds fun, Carrissa, but can I talk to Mommy now?"

"Nuh-uh. She can't talk on the phone right now."

Joe had a sneaking suspicion. "Is she with Ben?"

Carrissa's nose scrunched up at the mention of her brother, the troublemaker. "No."

The evasive answer confirmed Joe's suspicion. "Where is she, Carrissa?"

There was a slight hesitation, followed by a low, "Dunno."

"Carrissa." Although not heard often, Carrissa recognized the low rumbly voice as the one that meant Daddy was all business. She wanted happy Daddy back.

"She's in the cuffs, Daddy," she said in a low voice.

Bingo. Just as Joe had thought. He looked at the clock and realized that Ben would be up from his usual afternoon nap very soon. He needed to get Carrissa to unlock the cuffs.

"Angel, will you unlock Mommy from the cuffs now so I can speak with her?"

"Don' wanna, Daddy."

Joe attempted a different tack. The wrong one, as it turned out. "Ben's going to wake up from his nap soon and Mommy's going to have to go upstairs and take care of him."

"I don't wike Ben, Daddy. I want Mommy to stay downstairs and play Cops with me."

Joe understood now. Carrissa's stubborn refusal was a good old-fashioned case of sibling rivalry. He and Steph had been trying what they could to minimize those feelings, but Carrissa did enjoy being the center of attention. He should probably punish Carrissa for this little stunt, but one look into that angelic face and those round innocent eyes and he knew he'd be a goner. He'd never do anything to her. After all, kids will be kids. Right now, he was just going to have to use kid logic with her to gain her cooperation.

"Why don't you go with Mommy to take care of Ben and show her how it's done?"

"She already knows what to do," Carrissa said, pouting. "She took care of me when I was a baby, 'member?"

_Damn._ Beaten at the kid logic game. Truly pathetic. Nothing left to do now but head home and help Steph out before Ben woke up. "I do remember," Joe said in response to Carrissa, "how silly of me. Well then, how about if I come home now and you and I could play while Mommy took care of Ben. Would that be good?"

Carrissa's eyes widened like saucers. "Could you, Daddy? Weally? I'd super love that."

"Yes, Sweetheart, I can do that. Can you do me a favor first, though, and put your Mommy on the phone?"

"But she's all cuffed up right now Daddy. We was playing cops when you called, 'member?"

Her daddy's low chuckle could be heard across the phone line and Carrissa grinned wildly. She loved making her Daddy laugh and now happy Daddy was back just like she wanted.

"I remember, Sweetie. Why don't you just hold the phone to her ear for me, OK?"

"'kay."

Carrissa held the phone up to Steph. Steph had already gathered from Carrissa's end of the conversation that Joe was on the phone. She could only imagine what he must be thinking. The grin Carrissa wore was the same as Joe's when he laid on the charm, so she figured he understood his daughter well.

"Hey Cupcake," she heard his amused voice say a moment later. "I'm leaving now and heading home. I'll be there in a few minutes, so don't worry."

"I hate that you have to do that, Joe. You'd think I'd learn by now."

"Well, she's usually not this uncooperative about unlocking them. And hey, my kid logic didn't work on her either. Sometimes these things happen." He shrugged it off with a laugh. "It's not a big deal. I have some paperwork I can finish up just as easily at home as I can here. Just sit tight."

"Very funny," Steph said dryly.

Joe laughed again as he hung up the phone. Turning to Eddie, he called out, "I'm heading out for the day, Gazarra. As always, you can page me if something comes up."

"Where you headed so early?"

"Carrissa's got Steph cuffed again and she's refusing to unlock them. Ben's going to be up from his nap soon so I gotta head home and bail Steph out, so to speak."

Eddie threw his head back and laughed heartily. "The apple doesn't fall far from that tree. She's definitely got a lot of Steph in her, and Steph's still getting into trouble with those cuffs. So, what are you going to do to Carrissa when you get home?"

"Once I get Steph unlocked from the cuffs, I'll probably take her for some ice cream.

"What?! Joe demanded a second later to Eddie's disbelieving, shaking head.

"She locks Steph in cuffs, refuses to unlock her or hand her the keys, and you're going to give her ice cream. That girl's got you wrapped around her finger," Eddie admonished, still shaking his head.

Joe gave an unrepentant grin. "Steph said that happened when she was still in the womb. What can I say? I'm hopelessly devoted." At Eddie's continued mocking stare, Joe added, "Look, she's just having a hard time adjusting to Ben's arrival. I want to let her know she's still a special part of the family."

Eddie acquiesced with a nod. Hell, Joe was right. He was hopeless. And it was pure fun to watch. "Have a good one, Morelli."

Morelli thought about his family waiting for him at home and widened his grin. "I plan to," he responded.

It was a perfect day to be home.


End file.
